Best Actual Play Podcasts?

Like a lot of people I got turned on to actual play stuff by listening to TAZ and then quickly got into the wonderful Friends at the Table.

I’ve been looking for other stuff, but a lot of the fare seems to be “friends get drunk and roll dice”, which is cool but leads to more yelling on the mic than I’d like. I’ve also enjoyed Hail Fellow Well Met, people talking about their favorite characters is fun to listen to :slight_smile:

What are your favorite actual play/roleplaying podcasts?

Suggestions so far:

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This has been suggested here before, I believe, but One Shot is also fantastic, they’re 1-4 episode “one shot” campaigns so there’s no overarching story (except in their separate Campaign podcast which is currently doing a Star Wars campaign) I’m only about halfway through One Shot, but most of the games have been fantastic.

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Ah that sounds perfect! Downloading a few episodes now. Honestly that’s my favorite thing about FatT, just other people playing a new system, getting excited, figuring it out and talking it through. Maybe I only get that out of it because I jump between C/W and Heiron so much, though.

I’ve been running a Pathfinder campaign and so often when I’m reading the rules I’m surprised to find that I’ve been doing something wrong because of half-remembered 3.5 rules I enforce out of habit, so it’s great to hear people talking out rules to completely new systems. Really inspires me for my own games.

The first arc of Nerd Poker is really, really good. Sark is a good DM and keeps things moving and interesting. A couple in the party annoyed me at first but eventually they all really grew on me.

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After FATT, Campaign is easily my fav. That said, I haven’t listened to more than twenty episodes, but it’s hard to imagine it gets worse??

One Shot is very good, too, but I find that it reallllllly depends on the players for me. Sometimes I’ll skip out on a one shot because the people participating aren’t… my cup of tea.

I’m also listening to the newer NeoScum, "a Shadowrun actual play podcast starring Blair Britt, Eleni Sauvageau, Casey Toney, Mike Migdall, and Gannon Reedy as “The Game Master.” I know Mike Migdall from One Shot, and he’s always a hoot, so I followed him here. I enjoy it!

I’m a bit tired of TAZ crawling up its own butt with Serious Lore, but this campaign almost over and then they’ll try something new. Hopefully I can enjoy that again like I lovedlovedlovedlovedlovedloved earlier TAZ.

Jesus Christ, yes.

I bounced after ten minutes on yesterday’s episode. I just do not care about the belabored retconning. The whole Balance arc is straining under the weight of its belabored “world building” and it’s time to wrap up already.

When Griffin introduced Long-Lost Memories to his players’ characters, I about lost my shit. Obviously, it’s working for a lot of people (including his players, presumably!), but as someone who enjoys playing and listening to tabletop RPG games… It rubbed me super wrong. ):

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I’m a big of FATT! They do such wonderful work on that show. Truly inspiration as far as tabletop gaming goes. I also really dig on TAZ, Oneshot, and Campaign! Campaign is probably my favorite of those 3! They have a lot of fun and there are so many great characters and moments that range from slapstick to heart-breaking. Really good shows!

These are basically two one-offs but Giant Bomb’s Fiasco podcasts were incredible:


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Oh, good call. Those two episodes are wonderful, heh. Not least because Austin is running some people who’deenver done anything like it before through a game and they all gel so well together.

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I dunno I think this was a very new player campaign where they started with so little character work and eventually got into a better place for it. I feel like these retconny episodes are more just Griffin allowing his players more input into their characters and (i hope) setting a tone of wordbuilding for the next arc.

You’re probably right that there was a better way to do that than amnesia lich magic, but I’m just happy to see them getting more into asking each other about the world.

I’m putting out a request in this thread for any Call of Cthulhu/_____ of Cthulhu podcasts with typical, interesting play. Using written scenarios or homebrewed. I bought the 7th edition book recently and have no idea what play is like, so I want something to make me curious enough to play or maybe lead a game one day.

IMO, they’d already done a wonderful job of expanding on their characters just by playing the game. Taako’s (literal!) date with Death (okay, someone working for Death, but still). Merle’s hidden children, and implied romantic interest with, uh, what’s her face, the leader-lady. Magnus’ budding friendship with that rogue lady whose name I can’t remember.

I’ve very rarely played a tabletop game where the initial backstories were the beginning and end of a character’s life. Players let these creations breathe and grow as the game goes on, and they become more than what they were. They did this. They were doing this, still.

They didn’t NEED these new memories. Taako didn’t need a new sister. Davenport didn’t need to be a non-joke. To me, it reeks of when so many comedy shows/webcomics/whatever try to take a serious turn out of nowhere, and it works for some, but it fails for so many others. I wouldn’t say TAZ failed completely, but I would say it was significantly less graceful than it should have been. (I also don’t think Griffin’s world-building in TAZ is good, but that’s another discussion entirely, probably.)

This comes from a place of love. I’m a huge fan of the McElroys! I’m very very disappointed with TAZ’s path, of late. ):

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Honestly I just want Taako to finish his taco quest :((

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I’m trying to say these things over in the TAZ subreddit and mostly getting dragged for it.

So glad to hear spontaneously from someone who shares my opinion because people gush about aspects of this podcast that I think are middling at best and many really love this arc which I also think is boring and totally unnecessary.

Thank you for helping me feel less like I’m completely wrong headed.

Yeah why couldn’t they have stuck with THIS plot thread!

…yeah you’re right. The Sizzle It Up With Taako flashback/character stuff they did with the chalice was far and away better than any hundred year stuff, which so far is just reinforcing/riffing on traits they established already.

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Never knew about these! If its run by Austin then I’m very interested, and I’m sure the BeastCast crew has a good time with it.

I genuinely loved the dynamic of Travis, Justin, and Clint trying to shoehorn taco ingredients or techniques into every fight or conversation, and Griffin constantly pushing it off, but begrudgingly allowing minute progress with each convincing argument.

I miss it! :sob:

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I just loved when Magnus emerged from that drink-induced flashback screaming “Sour cream!!”

I’m going to pop in here because I see a lot of ribbing of TAZ. I like the show and agree with a lot of the opinions. I think the worst thing that happened to The Adventure Zone is Friends At The Table. I like both shows quite a bit, but I come to each of them for very different things, but you could really feel a lot of the influence of FatT creep over TAZ, and really culminated in the last half dozen episodes where we’re getting a lot of the monologues that you get in FatT. It feels a bit forced and put on, as opposed to some of the natural maturity that has risen out of the show and balanced it all out.

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