When it comes to making our games something memorable and that our players will be talking about for years to come there are few lengths that many of us will not go to. The problem, however, is that so often time is limited and in spite of the fact that we would all love to create our own tiles like the Crafty DM or design our own supplements that will change the way everyone thinks about cities or the d30 there’s rarely enough of it to go around for those projects. Instead we have to make do with what we’re able to squeeze in between feeding the kids, work, and a thousand other responsibilities that take up all of our time. Thankfully the internet has given us all a thousand different ways to help make our games better through apps, videos, and podcasts.
Today I’m going to tell you about seven podcasts that can help take your role-playing games to the next level. You’ll read about podcasts that will inspire your imaginations, that will teach you new tricks, and that will help you see your own strengths and weaknesses as a player and Game Master. If you like these podcasts be sure to subscribe to them, share them with your friends, and be sure to let the people making them know how much you enjoyed them to keep them going!
7. The Dice Tower
One of the nice things about The Dice Tower is that it focuses on board games and card games. This allows the Dice Tower to cover a lot of game that often gets overlooked by other podcasts connected with our hobby. The hosts have a real love for their subject and as a result you’ll often find yourself checking out games that you would never have thought about picking up otherwise.
Their discussions about what works and doesn’t with these board games often highlights many of the problems that we all end up putting into our role-playing games when we try to create interesting challenges. That’s a rare thing as most of the traditional role-playing game podcasts tend to talk about problems in a general sense without providing actual examples. So the direct feedback that The Dice Tower provides on the games they’re playing is incredibly useful. It’s actually changed the way that I set up my traps and mini-games that I use in my role-playing game sessions for the better.
6. Gagmen RPG Podcast
This is a relatively new podcast that has really been growing on me in the last few months. What’s really neat about this podcast is that all of the hosts work together to build a Dungeons & Dragons style adventure (usually using the Basic Fantasy System) which is just so interesting to listen to. Yet even if you’re not a real big fan of Dungeons & Dragons style games the way that they build the adventures tends to start taking on this almost story like flavor that quickly makes it enjoyable no matter who you are. It’s a unique podcast that is well worth checking and it’s really easy to end up binge listening to the entire series.
5. Happy Jacks RPG Podcast
Happy Jacks’ podcasts is done in a round table style that allows each of the hosts (and occasional guests) to be heard in a reasonable fashion. In some podcasts this can be a bit of a bad thing as the individuals involved can tend to get a bit confused as people talk over one and anther yet here it’s perfectly balanced with a sound quality that is very, very good.
The focus of the primary Happy Jacks podcasts tends to be around role-playing game issues, such as the latest episode around the topic of whether Game Masters should punish players for being stupid. This turns out to be a very good thing as the topical focus with Happy Jacks gives them enough structure to explore the topic while allowing them freely express themselves and to move wherever it might lead them. Happy Jacks also features a separate actual play podcast that is also pretty good.
4. Stuff You Missed in History Class
In a hobby that is often filled with simulationists and pseudo-historical settings it shouldn’t be surprising that many of us are history buffs. Yet no matter how much you know about history there is always going to be something that you haven’t learned; which is why this podcast is such a good find for all of us!
The hosts, Holly and Tracy, tend to focus on a single topic each week for about thirty minutes. This turns out to be a perfect size as it allows for them to present each historical topic in a quick, tight format that focuses on the most important points without allowing for the discussion to become a dull repetition of facts that will make you want to crack your head against the wall.
As you can imagine they pick topics that not only are capable of being discussed in so brief a period but they also tend towards topics that can inspire your imagination and send you digging deeper into the topic before the next week’s episode. For us it has also become a great place to get inspiration for magical items (such as the Codex Gigas episode), mysterious events (such as the Year Without a Summer episode), and people (such as in The Glamorous Strongwoman episode). If you’re stuck for inspiration this fantastic podcast is a great place to explore!
3. The D6 Generation
In a field that can easily be overwhelmed by Dungeons & Dragons podcasts that focus almost exclusively on quasi-Medieval, fantasy adventures and all the issues associated with that setting D6 Generation stands out as an alternative to all that. D6 Generation focuses more on miniature war games and board games than any other podcast I’ve run across and consistently does so in an entertaining way.
While the episodes are long, with many going well over three hours, this isn’t a detriment to the show. The hosts of the D6 Generation are quick witted, often clever, and always entertaining which means that while you’re painting your miniatures or drawing out your next battle area that the pleasant banter only serves as an excellent soundtrack for the task. Speaking as someone who didn’t come into this hobby with miniatures and only recently started painting his own the D6 Generation podcast is a great place to enjoy a side of our hobby that I would never otherwise have encountered.
2. Gamerstable
Arguably one of the best topical gaming podcasts to come out since Sons of Kryos stopped producing episodes a few years ago. Gamerstable is done in a roundtable style that allows the large cast to discuss each topic from a variety of viewpoints. The cast size can get pretty expansive at times (with I believe up to eight people joining in the discussion); and where other podcasts might find such a large cast a hindrance Gamerstable finds it a strength. The larger cast allows for a broad spectrum of opinions to be expressed so that it’s a rare thing to find an episode where not one of the cast voices your own opinion – at which time you generally begin to wonder if there is something wrong with you.
Without question what makes this podcast so special is the diverse cast who have an expansive experience in the hobby that allows them to confidently discuss not only the older history but the latest fads in a way that few others could hope. Their post-GENCON episodes are some of my favorites as they’re able to discuss the convention in a way that could never be accomplished by a smaller cast that didn’t have as much experience going there or as much experience in the hobby as a whole. I keep mentioning their experience with the hobby because it gives them a depth that is so rarely present in other podcasts. Their episode on Greyhawk not only explains why the setting has become meaningful to them as a group but why it has occupied such a large place in their gaming lives. Every episode is filled with great discussions about each topic (such as the latest episode, as of this writing, Faiths in RPGs) that doesn’t bind itself to any particular agenda. If you’re looking for a podcast that will discuss a wide variety of topics in a fun, entertaining way then you can not go wrong with Gamerstable.
1. RPGMP3.com
If it’s true that the best way to learn to play role-playing games is to actually experience them than outside of getting to roll the dice yourself RPGMP3’s vast library of actual play podcasts is the next best thing. RPGMP3 is not just a single group of players with a solitary Game Master but rather a network of groups playing everything from Warhammer Fantasy Role-play 2nd Edition, to practically all editions of Dungeons & Dragons, to Call of Cthulhu, to Rolemaster, to Chill, to HERO, to Castles and Crusaders, to so much more!
Since RPGMP3.com first launched with a full play through of the World’s Largest Dungeon back in 2005 the site has steadily become one of the best places to find some of your favorite systems, and many you’ve never encountered before, being played. By and large the majority of audio put up on the site is good quality and most of the players being recorded are enjoyable to listen to. What’s really neat about the groups is that they all have names of their own like the Thistledown Gamers Guild, Whartson Hall Gamers, Bradford Adventuring Guild People, and of course the RPGMP3 core group. As you explore the vast archives of the site you’ll quickly find groups that you love either for the players or the Game Masters which will have you downloading everything they’ve produced.
Directly because of this site and the play throughs I’ve listen to there I’ve bought more role-playing game books, adventures, and systems that I ever would have imagined when I first started listening to it back in 2006. If you’re at all interested in exploring new systems and don’t want to pay for the books first then go here and listen to one of the groups running it. I love this site and the consistently high level of games that are being put out makes it one of the first podcasts I listen to each time it updates.
Today I’m going to tell you about seven podcasts that can help take your role-playing games to the next level. You’ll read about podcasts that will inspire your imaginations, that will teach you new tricks, and that will help you see your own strengths and weaknesses as a player and Game Master. If you like these podcasts be sure to subscribe to them, share them with your friends, and be sure to let the people making them know how much you enjoyed them to keep them going!
7. The Dice Tower
One of the nice things about The Dice Tower is that it focuses on board games and card games. This allows the Dice Tower to cover a lot of game that often gets overlooked by other podcasts connected with our hobby. The hosts have a real love for their subject and as a result you’ll often find yourself checking out games that you would never have thought about picking up otherwise.
Their discussions about what works and doesn’t with these board games often highlights many of the problems that we all end up putting into our role-playing games when we try to create interesting challenges. That’s a rare thing as most of the traditional role-playing game podcasts tend to talk about problems in a general sense without providing actual examples. So the direct feedback that The Dice Tower provides on the games they’re playing is incredibly useful. It’s actually changed the way that I set up my traps and mini-games that I use in my role-playing game sessions for the better.
6. Gagmen RPG Podcast
This is a relatively new podcast that has really been growing on me in the last few months. What’s really neat about this podcast is that all of the hosts work together to build a Dungeons & Dragons style adventure (usually using the Basic Fantasy System) which is just so interesting to listen to. Yet even if you’re not a real big fan of Dungeons & Dragons style games the way that they build the adventures tends to start taking on this almost story like flavor that quickly makes it enjoyable no matter who you are. It’s a unique podcast that is well worth checking and it’s really easy to end up binge listening to the entire series.
5. Happy Jacks RPG Podcast
Happy Jacks’ podcasts is done in a round table style that allows each of the hosts (and occasional guests) to be heard in a reasonable fashion. In some podcasts this can be a bit of a bad thing as the individuals involved can tend to get a bit confused as people talk over one and anther yet here it’s perfectly balanced with a sound quality that is very, very good.
The focus of the primary Happy Jacks podcasts tends to be around role-playing game issues, such as the latest episode around the topic of whether Game Masters should punish players for being stupid. This turns out to be a very good thing as the topical focus with Happy Jacks gives them enough structure to explore the topic while allowing them freely express themselves and to move wherever it might lead them. Happy Jacks also features a separate actual play podcast that is also pretty good.
4. Stuff You Missed in History Class
In a hobby that is often filled with simulationists and pseudo-historical settings it shouldn’t be surprising that many of us are history buffs. Yet no matter how much you know about history there is always going to be something that you haven’t learned; which is why this podcast is such a good find for all of us!
The hosts, Holly and Tracy, tend to focus on a single topic each week for about thirty minutes. This turns out to be a perfect size as it allows for them to present each historical topic in a quick, tight format that focuses on the most important points without allowing for the discussion to become a dull repetition of facts that will make you want to crack your head against the wall.
As you can imagine they pick topics that not only are capable of being discussed in so brief a period but they also tend towards topics that can inspire your imagination and send you digging deeper into the topic before the next week’s episode. For us it has also become a great place to get inspiration for magical items (such as the Codex Gigas episode), mysterious events (such as the Year Without a Summer episode), and people (such as in The Glamorous Strongwoman episode). If you’re stuck for inspiration this fantastic podcast is a great place to explore!
3. The D6 Generation
In a field that can easily be overwhelmed by Dungeons & Dragons podcasts that focus almost exclusively on quasi-Medieval, fantasy adventures and all the issues associated with that setting D6 Generation stands out as an alternative to all that. D6 Generation focuses more on miniature war games and board games than any other podcast I’ve run across and consistently does so in an entertaining way.
While the episodes are long, with many going well over three hours, this isn’t a detriment to the show. The hosts of the D6 Generation are quick witted, often clever, and always entertaining which means that while you’re painting your miniatures or drawing out your next battle area that the pleasant banter only serves as an excellent soundtrack for the task. Speaking as someone who didn’t come into this hobby with miniatures and only recently started painting his own the D6 Generation podcast is a great place to enjoy a side of our hobby that I would never otherwise have encountered.
2. Gamerstable
Arguably one of the best topical gaming podcasts to come out since Sons of Kryos stopped producing episodes a few years ago. Gamerstable is done in a roundtable style that allows the large cast to discuss each topic from a variety of viewpoints. The cast size can get pretty expansive at times (with I believe up to eight people joining in the discussion); and where other podcasts might find such a large cast a hindrance Gamerstable finds it a strength. The larger cast allows for a broad spectrum of opinions to be expressed so that it’s a rare thing to find an episode where not one of the cast voices your own opinion – at which time you generally begin to wonder if there is something wrong with you.
Without question what makes this podcast so special is the diverse cast who have an expansive experience in the hobby that allows them to confidently discuss not only the older history but the latest fads in a way that few others could hope. Their post-GENCON episodes are some of my favorites as they’re able to discuss the convention in a way that could never be accomplished by a smaller cast that didn’t have as much experience going there or as much experience in the hobby as a whole. I keep mentioning their experience with the hobby because it gives them a depth that is so rarely present in other podcasts. Their episode on Greyhawk not only explains why the setting has become meaningful to them as a group but why it has occupied such a large place in their gaming lives. Every episode is filled with great discussions about each topic (such as the latest episode, as of this writing, Faiths in RPGs) that doesn’t bind itself to any particular agenda. If you’re looking for a podcast that will discuss a wide variety of topics in a fun, entertaining way then you can not go wrong with Gamerstable.
1. RPGMP3.com
If it’s true that the best way to learn to play role-playing games is to actually experience them than outside of getting to roll the dice yourself RPGMP3’s vast library of actual play podcasts is the next best thing. RPGMP3 is not just a single group of players with a solitary Game Master but rather a network of groups playing everything from Warhammer Fantasy Role-play 2nd Edition, to practically all editions of Dungeons & Dragons, to Call of Cthulhu, to Rolemaster, to Chill, to HERO, to Castles and Crusaders, to so much more!
Since RPGMP3.com first launched with a full play through of the World’s Largest Dungeon back in 2005 the site has steadily become one of the best places to find some of your favorite systems, and many you’ve never encountered before, being played. By and large the majority of audio put up on the site is good quality and most of the players being recorded are enjoyable to listen to. What’s really neat about the groups is that they all have names of their own like the Thistledown Gamers Guild, Whartson Hall Gamers, Bradford Adventuring Guild People, and of course the RPGMP3 core group. As you explore the vast archives of the site you’ll quickly find groups that you love either for the players or the Game Masters which will have you downloading everything they’ve produced.
Directly because of this site and the play throughs I’ve listen to there I’ve bought more role-playing game books, adventures, and systems that I ever would have imagined when I first started listening to it back in 2006. If you’re at all interested in exploring new systems and don’t want to pay for the books first then go here and listen to one of the groups running it. I love this site and the consistently high level of games that are being put out makes it one of the first podcasts I listen to each time it updates.
