Would you listen to an official EN World podcast?

[mudbunny]

I would certainly give it a shot as well. I love listening to D&D podcasts on the way to and from work. I agree completely with Crothian's recommendations, and I add that you should write it out before taping it. What emerges from unscripted dialogue is almost never interesting, unless the individuals are extremely talented professionals.

I would recommend against having it completely scripted, but until the hosts are experienced enough to be able to do it from the bare minimum of an outline, I would definitely go with a very well-detailed outline.

 

[Jack99]

30 minutes of RPG news? Well, assuming the focus stays on D&D, I might be interested. But it would have to be some extremely funny guys, if they are to make 30 minutes of news interesting.

Now, if you add debates and topics to the mix, then there is a much bigger chance that I would be interested in listening in.

 

[Morrus]

I almost certainly would not listen; I don't like podcasts.

I much prefer to read things, rather than listen to them, or watch videos if there's no text version. But audio-only, particularly of a rather long conversation, isn't something I enjoy much. I tend to look around for something to look at while it's playing, and that inevitably makes me distracted regarding actually listening to the podcast. It's also irksome to try and jump around to the actual moment when there's an interesting tidbit I want to hear again.

It's just not a format I care too much for.

Oh, I agree. They simply can't be listened to on their own. Unless you're a a real music-ophile, no audio format can.

They're designed for the iPod/iPhone/MP3 Player/Car stereo - something to listen to while you're doing something else. Walking the dog, jogging, driving, cycling; much like music is.

 

[SkidAce]

Yes.

 

[Morrus]

Incidentally, just to clarify - I won't be doing this myself. I'd be hiring professionals. I've no illusions as to how entertaining I'd be.

 

[amysrevenge]

Once a month? Yeah I'd probably listen then. More often and I would probably skip it. My listening time is used up by audio books.

 

[Mistwell]

Yes, sounds like a good idea. In fact, my wife enjoyed doing voice work for Reveal so much on his DMG reading podcast that I bet she would happily volunteer for a light hearted bit on a podcast.

 

[Alzrius]

Oh, I agree. They simply can't be listened to on their own. Unless you're a a real music-ophile, no audio format can.

They're designed for the iPod/iPhone/MP3 Player/Car stereo - something to listen to while you're doing something else. Walking the dog, jogging, driving, cycling; much like music is.

You make a good point; my problem with that is that I tend to cease paying attention to whatever I'm listening to in those cases, letting it fade into the background. That works with music, since that's just trying to evoke emotion, whereas a podcast actually requires that you listen to what's being said.

 

[Morrus]

Yes, sounds like a good idea. In fact, my wife enjoyed doing voice work for Reveal so much on his DMG reading podcast that I bet she would happily volunteer for a light hearted bit on a podcast.

That's the sort of thing I was thinking.

• Dramatic Readings of D&D rulebooks.
• Sketches like the Celebrity DM running Orc and Pie that happened on Nothingland (the Quentin Tarantino one was great!).
• Silly RPG related songs.
• The aforementioned Top Ten Things, Letterman-style.

Mixed in with some actual serious content, of course, but presented in an easily absorbed way. Goal 1: entertain. Goal 2: inform. Goal 2 is lower than Goal 1 in the hierarchy.

 

[Morrus]

You make a good point; my problem with that is that I tend to cease paying attention to whatever I'm listening to in those cases, letting it fade into the background. That works with music, since that's just trying to evoke emotion, whereas a podcast actually requires that you listen to what's being said.

Let's just say that never in my life have I successfully managed to sit at my PC and listen to a podcast or audiobook. Even the REALLY GOOD ones.

Until I started listening to them on my iPhone instead, it was a dead concept for me. Impossible to listen to. And then I had the bright idea of listening to them while walking my dog, and now I'm an addict. It's a completely different experience.