D&D General What are your favorite D&D-related podcasts and actual plays -- and why?

[Yora]

Questing Beast has recently started making talk-show videos with two or three people from youtube, in which they talk about topics suggested by viewers.
Always completely different people who all have some interesting things to say.

Is that the kind of thing this is about?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Is that the kind of thing this is about?

No, but since so many podcasts are just the audio feed of YouTube/Twitch shows (I had a bunch of them in the OP), it's inevitable that this thread would expand this way.

Podcasts are downloaded MP3 files that are typically listened to via mobile devices (hence "podcast," as in "iPod") and listened to on the go. But many YouTube/Twitch shows realize that folks like me aren't likely to watch YouTube for four hours (I am kind of amazed how many people do that), and make their shows available in an easy secondary format.

And Questing Beast is a really good OSR streamer, for sure. Hyper-serious all the time, though.

 

[Radiating Gnome]

One I love that hasn't been mentioned yet is Dungeons and Daddies. It's certainly on the light side, doesn't take the D&D especially seriously, but they make up for that by being possibly the funniest of the Actual Play podcasts I've listened to. Their patreon supporter content is rich and also very funny.
It's another batch of Hollywood creatives, including Freddy Wong, who was the guy who created the Rocket Jump channel on youtube back in the day, and a handful of old friends from the writer's room on Video Game High School. They're smart, funny, nerdy, and awesome.

 

[ersatzphil]

One I love that hasn't been mentioned yet is Dungeons and Daddies.

This was the one I intended to plug. I'm continually amazed at the amount of genuine pathos they're able to wring out of an inherently goofy campaign.

 

[Tiles]

Dice camera Action was Chris P at his finest in my opinion. The group was often difficult, but he dealt with them brilliantly and inspired me to let players split up, get distracted, act crazy and still move the story. His Ravenloft was absolutely amazing.
Sorry to see it collapsed the way it did. (Poor choices out of game). A lot of broken hearts.

 

[Northern Phoenix]

I haven't listened/watched to all that many, so of those few I'd like to mention...

Acquisitions Inc: The original podcast series was my first introduction to D&D (outside of references on TV and a few episodes of the cartoon) and I still hold quite a fondness for them. I've never enjoyed the live sessions as much, but that's just a different kind of performance.

Chris Perkins and Robot Chicken: A game run by Chris Perkins during his "DM to the Stars" days with some of the crew of Robot Chicken. Worth a watch. Perkins also did a director's commentary where he talks about the session, the adventure, and his thoughts on running the game for new players.

Critical Hit: The podcast from the Major Spoilers site. I learned a lot from the DM, Rodrigo, and overall an excellent bunch of players. I fell off at some point in the Feywild season.

Gamer's Haven: A bog standard D&D podcast from 2009. I only mention them because after looking them up I believe all their recordings are unavaiable, they played through Keep on the Shadowfell two (!) times, and I imagine only like 100 people ever heard them. Just an interesting footnote from the early days of D&D podcasting.

Critical Hit by Major Spoilers is probably the best 4E DND actual play for anyone who needs some of that in their life. I too fell off around that point, but before then listening to it was dozens of hours of great enjoyment.

 

[Tiles]

Critical Hit by Major Spoilers is probably the best 4E DND actual play for anyone who needs some of that in their life. I too fell off around that point, but before then listening to it was dozens of hours of great enjoyment.

I still use the Rodrigo skill challenge rules to this day. WoTC needs to pay him to write them. (The rules and also an awesome adventure)

 

[CleverNickName]

I got into Dimension20 after watching Aabrya Iyengar's performance on Critical Role, and went looking for more of her work. She did a short series called "Misfits and Magic" for Dimension20 that used the Kids on Brooms RPG, and it was really good.

But my first and strongest love is Critical Role. It's the flagship of them all.