A month ago, on EN World's official RPG news podcast, we reported the results of the favourite tabletop RPG podcasts of 2018 poll, which received nearly 10,000 votes. All the cool kids know the results already, but here is that list in ironic text format, as promised!
All podcasts nominated in the public nomination stage were part of the public poll. 99 podcasts were nominated, and in total 9,099 votes were cast on those 99 podcasts. The nomination thread was here:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?5865-Taking-nominations-for-best-RPG-podcasts-of-2018!
If you didn’t nominate your favourite podcast this year, be sure to do so next year! We’ll be doing this annually, and no podcast can win more than once.
Top 10 RPG Talk Podcasts
These podcasts talk about RPGs. They include interviews, opinions, reviews, advice, and news.
1. The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
"Jackson Elias is a major character in Chaosium’s classic Call of Cthulhu campaign, Masks of Nyarlathotep. The investigators in the campaign are all good friends of his, and so are we!"
Episodes include Making Combat More Interesting, The Mythos as Religion, Horror Gaming in the Modern Day.
"The main subject of The Good Friends of Jackson Elias is Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu tabletop roleplaying game. All three of us have written material for the game and are long-time fans. We also talk about horror films, weird fiction, other games and general inspiration. Each episode focuses on a single topic, which we try to explore in depth. Even when discussing films or books, we aim to bring the conversation back to gaming. We find inspiration in most of the media we consume and love to talk about this part of the process. Be warned that we swear a bit. We decided early on not to bleep our profanity and, for better or worse, have stuck with this since."
2. The Grognard Files
"I’m Dirk the Dice and this is the GROGNARD files podcast, talking bobbins about table-top RPGs from back in the day and today. The Armchair Adventurers are small FRPG group that meet monthly in Bolton. We first got together thanks to a ‘small ad’ in WHITE DWARF in 1983. We got back together in 2010 to play Call of Cthulhu Masks of Nyarlathotep monthly for 3 years. Playing again reignited our passion for RPGs, so we returned to some more classic campaigns from our teenage years: RuneQuest BORDERLANDS, Traveller ADVENTURE, RuneQuest GRIFFIN MOUNTAIN and Call of Cthulhu FUNGI FROM YUGGOTH. Our interest began to shift towards what had happened to RPGs during our period away from the hobby. The GROGPOD tells our story."
Episodes about older games such as RuneQuest, Traveller, Tunnels & Trolls, Warhammer Fantasy Role-play, Paranoia.
3. Fear the Boot
General tabletop RPG podcast with over 500 episodes. For example, the latest ep, called PCs Like NPCS Like PCs covered topics such as "being a codependent player", "playing NPCs as PCs", "Strategies for heping the GM with your PC". Other recent episodes include things like setting expectations, keeping entertainment of the group as the central focus, player responses to GM error.
4. Ken & Robin Talk About Stuff
Industry veterans Ken Hite and Robin Laws. Winners of several ENnie awards. They talk gaming, but also history, travel, cinema, politics, food, and more. Robin Laws created GUMSHOE, Feng Shui, Hillfolk. Ken Hite has written more that 70 RPGs, from Star Trek to GURPS to Trail of Cthulhu, to Night's Black Agents.
5. Happy Jacks RPG
"Happy Jacks has been combining tabletop RPGs and humor to create high quality content since 2009. We’ve assembled a diverse cast of seasoned entertainers, tabletop RPG experts, and nerds to bring you some of the most engaging tabletop content out there. We have a top-rated weekly advice show and dozens of actual play shows in different systems available as podcasts or to watch on Youtube and Twitch."
Weekly tabletop advice show based on topic sent in by listers. Topics like "Sandboxes, "Small D&D Games", One Shots, Rule Zero, Space Combat, Courses of Drama, Disparate Power Levels, Encouraging New GMs...
6. What Would The Smart Party Do?
Interviews with industry guests such as Rob Schwalb, Satine Phoenix, Jonathan Tweet, ... Russ Morrissey. Topics like First Time DM Experience, DIY Gaming, ENNies Nominees, Downtime, RPGs of the 90s.
"Gaz and Baz have spent decades talking about games, ever since University, which was far too long ago for their liking. All RPG problems were solved in whiskey-fueled late night sessions, with the disappointing realization they couldn’t remember any of it the following day being the only fly in the ointment. Now older, wiser and more experienced, the plucky duo have decided to commit their enthralling discussion to this new fangled podcast technology, in the vain hopes of capturing something useful or interesting. It should be a conversation starter if nothing else. Getting them to start talking was never the problem. Making them stop however…"
7. Dragon Talk
The official D&D podcast from WotC, started back in 2016
"Go inside the walls of Dungeons & Dragons for exclusive interviews and previews! The D&D team sits down each week with celebrities and personalities from across gaming and pop culture to discuss one of the greatest fantasy brands of all-time. We'll talk about the tabletop roleplaying game, as the latest in D&D video games, comics, novels, movies, and television, plus listen to our live play-throughs featuring Penny-Arcade's Acquisitions Incorporated."
8. Gaming and BS
"Based out of lovely Wisconsin, USA, Gaming and BS is a podcast that talks about roleplaying games. Brett and Sean are two guys working for The Man Monday through Friday. While people in corporate meetings are thinking of deliverables and timelines, we’re thinking about how a half-orc barbarian may influence the decision-making process. On second thought, we better make that a 4th level, human, Bard. Listening to Gaming and BS you’ll realize that we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We’re not dummies, but we didn’t want to make this show academic in nature."
Random Encounter segment features letters and comments from listeners. Die Roll segment is "2d4 points of miscellaneous geekery". Main topic like Getting Info From Players, Seafaring Adventures, the OSR, Gaming with Kids, Playing Online, Cursed Items
9. System Mastery
"Jef & Jon. We review roleplaying games. And bad movies. And Star Wars books. Poorly."... "Two guys and occasional guests review old roleplaying games."
10. Fear of a Black Dragon
From The Gauntlet, a podcast network that focuses on indie RPGs, story games, and the OSR.
"This is a podcast about tabletop roleplaying game modules and setting books."
Episodes include Tomb of Horrors, Ravenloft, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, and Shadows over Bogenhafen.
Top 10 Actual Play Podcasts
These podcasts are actual games, with awesome players, GMs, and plots!
1. The Adventure Zone
Biweekly podcast by the stars of My Brother, My Brother, and Me. In 2014 they did a one-off special where the brothers played D&D with their dad, Clint. It was then spun off to a podcast of its own. They're on the 4th campaign, Wild West with vampires and werewolves, called Dust, using the Urban Shadows system by Magpie Games. Previous arcs included D&D, FATE, Monster of the Week. Graphic novel in July 2018.
"Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy from My Brother, My Brother and Me have recruited their dad Clint for a campaign of high adventure. Join the McElroys as they find their fortune and slay an unconscionable number of ... you know, kobolds or whatever in ... The Adventure Zone."
2. Glass Cannon Podcast
Pathfinder podcast lunched in June 2015 with Paizo's Giantslayer AP. Has an official partnership with Paizo. Done various live events.
"In the spirit of old-school tabletop role-playing games, a collection of five super-nerds engage in an officially licensed Actual Play podcast of Paizo’s Giantslayer Adventure Path!"
3. Androids & Aliens
Launched April 2018. From the same guys who do the Glass Cannon Podcast, focused on Starfinder. Playing the Dead Suns AP from Paizo.
"Set in the distant future, five strangers find themselves caught in the middle of an interstellar mystery that threatens the very existence of the galaxy! Join us every week as characters’ fates lie in the hands of dice rolls and friendships are ruined over rules arguments in an officially licensed Actual Play podcast of the Starfinder Roleplaying Game Dead Suns Adventure Path."
4. Dungeons & Randomness
Been going for 5 years with over 472 episodes.
"Dungeons and Randomness is a weekly Dungeons and Dragons podcast with multiple groups playing in one world (Theria) in which their actions affect one another and tell a giant, sprawling story. For five years, Jason Massey has been our dungeon master for a show that is available free to all who wish to listen to our adventures. Our podcast is gigantic in scale, balancing out over 20 players and telling a story which features over 100 characters."
5. Drunks & Dragons
Launched November 2012.
"Drunks and Dragons is an award-winning actual-play, comedy podcast using Dungeons and Dragons as a framework for creating a (mostly) improvised narrative. Drunks and Dragons has been releasing weekly since November of 2012, and has built a considerable fanbase for a completely independant podcast. As of December 2017, DnD has an estimated 70,000 unique monthly listeners world wide, and over 600,000 monthly downloads. DnD has even spawned an annual convention."
At the 2017 Academy of Podcasters awards, Drunks and Dragons won Best Podcast in the Games & Hobbies category.
6. How We Roll
"If you've got this far you probably already know that we're a UK and Ireland based RPG Podcast. Our primary campaigns use Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition and Call of Cthulhu 7th edition."
D&D Curse of Strahd, and The Dren Campaign. "A custom campaign setting set in the aftermath of a devastating war between humans and elves. High magic, flying airships, curses and powerful undead make this story extremely memorable."
CoC several campaigns including The Two-Headed Serpent, Bleak Prospect, Idol of Thoth, and more.
7. Red Moon Roleplaying
"We play tabletop roleplaying games set in dark worlds and turn it into a podcast.
Just finished campaign is "Curse of Strahd" for Dungeons & Dragons. Previous campaign is "The Black Madonna" for KULT: Divinity Lost."
8. D&D Is For Nerds
From Sanspants Radio.
"In which we sit around a table, pretend to be different people and play some good old fashioned Dungeons and Dragons. Starring Jackson B. Baly, Joel L. Zammit, Cass and our favourite DM, Adam. It’s a magical, fun-filled time where a group of idiots annoy their DM and choof off to fumble their way through adventures based on the motto 'you gotta risk it for the biscuit'. New episodes every Sunday!"
9. Dames & Dragons
"Dames & Dragons is a Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition actual play podcast featuring an all lady cast, lots of bad jokes, a mystery or two, and some fumbling attempts at heroism.On a floating island called Estra, three warriors emerge from the Great Forest to become the Goddess's Guardians. Laika, of the Wolf Clan, is a tiefling paladin with a heart of gold. Corbin, of the Crow Clan, is a human druid with a heart that fully believes it belongs to an actual crow. Fran, of the Deer Clan, is a water genasi wizard who may also have a heart.
Together, our heroes stand against the dark, ancient force plotting the downfall of their Goddess... and their world.
Dames & Dragons updates every other Monday on most major podcast platforms."
10. You Meet In A Tavern
Launched Feb 2017.
"Follow the continuing epic podcast adventures of Tug, Derf, and Karl (played by Kirk, Jamal, and Bryan) as we navigate our way through our first 5E D&D campaign."
All podcasts nominated in the public nomination stage were part of the public poll. 99 podcasts were nominated, and in total 9,099 votes were cast on those 99 podcasts. The nomination thread was here:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?5865-Taking-nominations-for-best-RPG-podcasts-of-2018!
If you didn’t nominate your favourite podcast this year, be sure to do so next year! We’ll be doing this annually, and no podcast can win more than once.
Top 10 RPG Talk Podcasts
These podcasts talk about RPGs. They include interviews, opinions, reviews, advice, and news.
1. The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
"Jackson Elias is a major character in Chaosium’s classic Call of Cthulhu campaign, Masks of Nyarlathotep. The investigators in the campaign are all good friends of his, and so are we!"
Episodes include Making Combat More Interesting, The Mythos as Religion, Horror Gaming in the Modern Day.
"The main subject of The Good Friends of Jackson Elias is Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu tabletop roleplaying game. All three of us have written material for the game and are long-time fans. We also talk about horror films, weird fiction, other games and general inspiration. Each episode focuses on a single topic, which we try to explore in depth. Even when discussing films or books, we aim to bring the conversation back to gaming. We find inspiration in most of the media we consume and love to talk about this part of the process. Be warned that we swear a bit. We decided early on not to bleep our profanity and, for better or worse, have stuck with this since."
2. The Grognard Files
"I’m Dirk the Dice and this is the GROGNARD files podcast, talking bobbins about table-top RPGs from back in the day and today. The Armchair Adventurers are small FRPG group that meet monthly in Bolton. We first got together thanks to a ‘small ad’ in WHITE DWARF in 1983. We got back together in 2010 to play Call of Cthulhu Masks of Nyarlathotep monthly for 3 years. Playing again reignited our passion for RPGs, so we returned to some more classic campaigns from our teenage years: RuneQuest BORDERLANDS, Traveller ADVENTURE, RuneQuest GRIFFIN MOUNTAIN and Call of Cthulhu FUNGI FROM YUGGOTH. Our interest began to shift towards what had happened to RPGs during our period away from the hobby. The GROGPOD tells our story."
Episodes about older games such as RuneQuest, Traveller, Tunnels & Trolls, Warhammer Fantasy Role-play, Paranoia.
3. Fear the Boot
General tabletop RPG podcast with over 500 episodes. For example, the latest ep, called PCs Like NPCS Like PCs covered topics such as "being a codependent player", "playing NPCs as PCs", "Strategies for heping the GM with your PC". Other recent episodes include things like setting expectations, keeping entertainment of the group as the central focus, player responses to GM error.
4. Ken & Robin Talk About Stuff
Industry veterans Ken Hite and Robin Laws. Winners of several ENnie awards. They talk gaming, but also history, travel, cinema, politics, food, and more. Robin Laws created GUMSHOE, Feng Shui, Hillfolk. Ken Hite has written more that 70 RPGs, from Star Trek to GURPS to Trail of Cthulhu, to Night's Black Agents.
5. Happy Jacks RPG
"Happy Jacks has been combining tabletop RPGs and humor to create high quality content since 2009. We’ve assembled a diverse cast of seasoned entertainers, tabletop RPG experts, and nerds to bring you some of the most engaging tabletop content out there. We have a top-rated weekly advice show and dozens of actual play shows in different systems available as podcasts or to watch on Youtube and Twitch."
Weekly tabletop advice show based on topic sent in by listers. Topics like "Sandboxes, "Small D&D Games", One Shots, Rule Zero, Space Combat, Courses of Drama, Disparate Power Levels, Encouraging New GMs...
6. What Would The Smart Party Do?
Interviews with industry guests such as Rob Schwalb, Satine Phoenix, Jonathan Tweet, ... Russ Morrissey. Topics like First Time DM Experience, DIY Gaming, ENNies Nominees, Downtime, RPGs of the 90s.
"Gaz and Baz have spent decades talking about games, ever since University, which was far too long ago for their liking. All RPG problems were solved in whiskey-fueled late night sessions, with the disappointing realization they couldn’t remember any of it the following day being the only fly in the ointment. Now older, wiser and more experienced, the plucky duo have decided to commit their enthralling discussion to this new fangled podcast technology, in the vain hopes of capturing something useful or interesting. It should be a conversation starter if nothing else. Getting them to start talking was never the problem. Making them stop however…"
7. Dragon Talk
The official D&D podcast from WotC, started back in 2016
"Go inside the walls of Dungeons & Dragons for exclusive interviews and previews! The D&D team sits down each week with celebrities and personalities from across gaming and pop culture to discuss one of the greatest fantasy brands of all-time. We'll talk about the tabletop roleplaying game, as the latest in D&D video games, comics, novels, movies, and television, plus listen to our live play-throughs featuring Penny-Arcade's Acquisitions Incorporated."
8. Gaming and BS
"Based out of lovely Wisconsin, USA, Gaming and BS is a podcast that talks about roleplaying games. Brett and Sean are two guys working for The Man Monday through Friday. While people in corporate meetings are thinking of deliverables and timelines, we’re thinking about how a half-orc barbarian may influence the decision-making process. On second thought, we better make that a 4th level, human, Bard. Listening to Gaming and BS you’ll realize that we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We’re not dummies, but we didn’t want to make this show academic in nature."
Random Encounter segment features letters and comments from listeners. Die Roll segment is "2d4 points of miscellaneous geekery". Main topic like Getting Info From Players, Seafaring Adventures, the OSR, Gaming with Kids, Playing Online, Cursed Items
9. System Mastery
"Jef & Jon. We review roleplaying games. And bad movies. And Star Wars books. Poorly."... "Two guys and occasional guests review old roleplaying games."
10. Fear of a Black Dragon
From The Gauntlet, a podcast network that focuses on indie RPGs, story games, and the OSR.
"This is a podcast about tabletop roleplaying game modules and setting books."
Episodes include Tomb of Horrors, Ravenloft, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, and Shadows over Bogenhafen.
Top 10 Actual Play Podcasts
These podcasts are actual games, with awesome players, GMs, and plots!
1. The Adventure Zone
Biweekly podcast by the stars of My Brother, My Brother, and Me. In 2014 they did a one-off special where the brothers played D&D with their dad, Clint. It was then spun off to a podcast of its own. They're on the 4th campaign, Wild West with vampires and werewolves, called Dust, using the Urban Shadows system by Magpie Games. Previous arcs included D&D, FATE, Monster of the Week. Graphic novel in July 2018.
"Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy from My Brother, My Brother and Me have recruited their dad Clint for a campaign of high adventure. Join the McElroys as they find their fortune and slay an unconscionable number of ... you know, kobolds or whatever in ... The Adventure Zone."
2. Glass Cannon Podcast
Pathfinder podcast lunched in June 2015 with Paizo's Giantslayer AP. Has an official partnership with Paizo. Done various live events.
"In the spirit of old-school tabletop role-playing games, a collection of five super-nerds engage in an officially licensed Actual Play podcast of Paizo’s Giantslayer Adventure Path!"
3. Androids & Aliens
Launched April 2018. From the same guys who do the Glass Cannon Podcast, focused on Starfinder. Playing the Dead Suns AP from Paizo.
"Set in the distant future, five strangers find themselves caught in the middle of an interstellar mystery that threatens the very existence of the galaxy! Join us every week as characters’ fates lie in the hands of dice rolls and friendships are ruined over rules arguments in an officially licensed Actual Play podcast of the Starfinder Roleplaying Game Dead Suns Adventure Path."
4. Dungeons & Randomness
Been going for 5 years with over 472 episodes.
"Dungeons and Randomness is a weekly Dungeons and Dragons podcast with multiple groups playing in one world (Theria) in which their actions affect one another and tell a giant, sprawling story. For five years, Jason Massey has been our dungeon master for a show that is available free to all who wish to listen to our adventures. Our podcast is gigantic in scale, balancing out over 20 players and telling a story which features over 100 characters."
5. Drunks & Dragons
Launched November 2012.
"Drunks and Dragons is an award-winning actual-play, comedy podcast using Dungeons and Dragons as a framework for creating a (mostly) improvised narrative. Drunks and Dragons has been releasing weekly since November of 2012, and has built a considerable fanbase for a completely independant podcast. As of December 2017, DnD has an estimated 70,000 unique monthly listeners world wide, and over 600,000 monthly downloads. DnD has even spawned an annual convention."
At the 2017 Academy of Podcasters awards, Drunks and Dragons won Best Podcast in the Games & Hobbies category.
6. How We Roll
"If you've got this far you probably already know that we're a UK and Ireland based RPG Podcast. Our primary campaigns use Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition and Call of Cthulhu 7th edition."
D&D Curse of Strahd, and The Dren Campaign. "A custom campaign setting set in the aftermath of a devastating war between humans and elves. High magic, flying airships, curses and powerful undead make this story extremely memorable."
CoC several campaigns including The Two-Headed Serpent, Bleak Prospect, Idol of Thoth, and more.
7. Red Moon Roleplaying
"We play tabletop roleplaying games set in dark worlds and turn it into a podcast.
Just finished campaign is "Curse of Strahd" for Dungeons & Dragons. Previous campaign is "The Black Madonna" for KULT: Divinity Lost."
8. D&D Is For Nerds
From Sanspants Radio.
"In which we sit around a table, pretend to be different people and play some good old fashioned Dungeons and Dragons. Starring Jackson B. Baly, Joel L. Zammit, Cass and our favourite DM, Adam. It’s a magical, fun-filled time where a group of idiots annoy their DM and choof off to fumble their way through adventures based on the motto 'you gotta risk it for the biscuit'. New episodes every Sunday!"
9. Dames & Dragons
"Dames & Dragons is a Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition actual play podcast featuring an all lady cast, lots of bad jokes, a mystery or two, and some fumbling attempts at heroism.On a floating island called Estra, three warriors emerge from the Great Forest to become the Goddess's Guardians. Laika, of the Wolf Clan, is a tiefling paladin with a heart of gold. Corbin, of the Crow Clan, is a human druid with a heart that fully believes it belongs to an actual crow. Fran, of the Deer Clan, is a water genasi wizard who may also have a heart.
Together, our heroes stand against the dark, ancient force plotting the downfall of their Goddess... and their world.
Dames & Dragons updates every other Monday on most major podcast platforms."
10. You Meet In A Tavern
Launched Feb 2017.
"Follow the continuing epic podcast adventures of Tug, Derf, and Karl (played by Kirk, Jamal, and Bryan) as we navigate our way through our first 5E D&D campaign."
