Podcasts for DM's

[Olaf the Stout]

I'm a regular DM with about 8 years of DM'ing a game on a fortnightly basis. One thing I aim to achieve with my DM'ing is to keep improving the quality of my game. Reading threads on various RPG forums is good for that. I have also found podcasts do this well, although I am yet to find a podcast that is mainly advice about running a game..

At the moment the RPG podcasts I listen to are Fear the Boot, the WotC D&D podcast (very infrequent), Kicked in the Dicebags, Atomic Array, 2d6 feet in a Random Direction and RPG Countdown. I also have several episodes of the Podge Cast downloaded but I still haven't actually listed to an episode.

Out of those Fear the Boot is probably the only one that offers DM advice, and a lot of times the discussion isn't really aimed at DM's, or the topic isn't really a DM topic.

So, given that there are now a heap of RPG podcasts out there, there surely must be at least a couple aimed at DM's. So what ones would people recommend? I'd prefer D&D podcasts, but more generic RPG podcasts are ok. I'm more concerned that it is aimed at those running the game.

Olaf the Stout

 

[UselessTriviaMan]

I've listened to a handful of gaming podcasts and found most to be rather dry and un-entertaining. That said, there is one I listen to regularly because it's most definitely NOT dry. Happy Jack's RPG Podcast is - hands down - the most enjoyable podcast I've found. They (especially the main host, Stu Venable) are old-school gamers. They offer some really fantastic gaming advice, both for GMs and players. They're based out of Los Angeles and most of 'em are ren faire performers, too. Aside from Stu, the cast of hosts is set on a somewhat-rotating basis. (Which, to me at least, is another bonus.)

Granted, it's not for everyone; they drink while recording, they occasionally curse like sailors, and the humor levels can be rather crude. But that's actually part of their charm - they sound like us when we're sitting around and shooting the breeze. They don't put on airs, they're just a bunch of good friends who like to game and drink.

They're NSFW unless you listen on headphones (like me), and you might get funny looks from coworkers from laughing so hard (again, like me). But they're the only podcast I look forward to each week. They've helped improve my game immensely, and I hope to someday get out to California for one of the gaming conventions so I can actually game with these guys.

And the Cheeseburger Incident (Season 3, Episode 6) is the stuff of legends. (NSFW legends, but still.)

 

[The Red King]

I'm all about NSFW legends!

 

[SteelDraco]

I listen to Fear the Boot, Know Direction (a Pathfinder podcast on 3.5 Private Sanctuary), Gamer's Guide to Pathfinder, RoleplayDNA, and Smiling Jack's (a daily one-hour commute gives me a lot of time to listen to podcasts).

Fear the Boot is the only one that regularly gives GMing advice, though RoleplayDNA does a bit - it just started. I'm curious as to what other people listen to.

Fear the Boot is good, but they talk about a lot of stuff I don't care about (lots of in-jokes and community stuff). Gamer's Guide to Pathfinder is probably my favorite right now, but its' mostly player-oriented. Smiling Jack's and RoleplayDNA share a lot of people, but they don't typically stay on task very well - lots of off-topic discussion, particularly in Smiling Jack's.

 

[Orryn Emrys]

I have to second Happy Jacks! They are seriously entertaining and give some great advice... I also think Roleplaying Public Radio and Postcards from the Dungeon often have some great ideas mixed in.

My own group has recently started a new podcast, as well, called Metagamers Anonymous. I hope to discuss a variety of topics, including GMing advice for various systems, but we only have a couple episodes up so far.

 

[justinhalliday]

The Exemplary GM is a good podcast for GMs:

The Exemplary DM Podcast

 

[darjr]

I lurve podcasts. Thanks for the links, a couple new ones to me.

I've only listed to a couple episodes of Virtual Play but the ones I listed to were almost a deconstruction of a snippet of play. Kinda cool and close to what I've wanted for a while. I don't know if the rest of the podcast is like that.