1. What’s the highest quality PbtA podcast you’ve heard?
2. What do you like about it?
My answer: Friends Around the Table. I’ve only heard the Blades in the Dark campaign. It has excellent production quality, tells a good story, and shows off the mechanics very clearly.
+1 Forward
What do you like about it?
Great host, wide variety of games discussed, hearing designers talk about their design/development.
Neat, thanks.
Although +1 Forward is great, I think my favorite is Discern Realities (a Dungeon World podcast)… and like +1 Forward, is also by The Gauntlet RPG network.
I love that (much like +1 Forward) there is always a little 10 minute of actual play at the end of each episode. I love the fact that they source resources from the community and other places abroad, and that the show has a consistent set of segments and is very well curated.
I didn’t enjoy Discern Realities very much. It was okay. I suspect I would love it if I had actually played the game already. I’m in more of an investigative phase right now. Maybe I’ll return to it one day.
If you are interested in the Actual Play part (separate from the talk about Dungeon World the game), they eventually released all of it as one podcast that’s about 1.5 hours long: http://discernrealities.libsyn.com/ramshackle-crow-and-the-temple-of-the-peerless-star. I think it’s a great way to get a feel for what a PbtA game can look like in play.
discernrealities.libsyn.com – Discern Realities: Ramshackle Crow and the Temple of the Peerless Star
I prefer actual play videos to just podcasts. I echo the sentiment that The Gauntlet, as well as some of their individual hosts/contributors channels are very good. Tabletop Talk is a channel where a few friends who film their sessions around a table and do different games. (Not limited to just PBTA, but they love Dungeon World.)
Tomer Gurantz that’s only the Ramshackle Crow part. Discern Realities has had a lot more play segments after that. I really wish they would release all those APs segments combined, and independently of the DR episodes, like they did with Ramshackle.
Seconding +1 Forward. I love its focus and the particular areas it chooses to go down. An episode about a game gives you everything you need if you want to be sold on it.
I also really love the topic episodes that they’ve been doing since Rach Shelkey joined the show. They provide a nice contrast to the other episodes and an opportunity to explore interesting issues.
It’s not a dedicated podcast, or even an active one but the Walking Eye introduced me to the game and a lot of others. It’s really well done and everyone is engaging.
I’ll have to double down on Friends At the Table, I highly recommend the Twilight Mirage (season 4)
On a side note and shameless plug – Tumbleson County is the Monster of the Week Actual Play I run and produce. It’s To Kill A Mockingbird meets Supernatural. maxsminions.com – Minionworks Presents – Troublesome Times in Tumbleson County™
Aaron B thanks, I’ll listen.
I listen to quite a few Friends at the Table is very good. I’ve enjoyed every story Arc.
I also enjoy Crudely Drawn Swords Dungeon World Campaign. I definitely like their sense of humour.
And I’ve just discovered You Don’t Meet at an Inn, they play a bunch of games and quite a few PtbA. Listening to their AW playthrough atm.
Roo cast gamers podcast introduced me to dungeon world. They mainly do burning wheel and savage worlds now
Another vote for +1 forward. It’s a great intro to many of the PbtA games out there discussing both what makes them special as well as providing a brief snippet of play.
I may be a bit biased, but you should check out the Pocket Sized Play podcast (also by The Gauntlet). Specifically, the Mercy Falls series (which is a Monsterhearts AP).
I’m trying all of these. Thanks
Tim Osburn I can’t bring myself to stop what I’m doing and watch other people play games. I’d rather watch a good movie or TV show. I can listen to a podcast (if it’s well made) while I’m doing something else.
Same, but usually I only listen if it’s my games.
I binged all of the +1 Forward episodes about the games I’m interested in. I was going to unsubscribe because I almost didn’t even learn anything I wanted to know. (The play and the interview didn’t leave me with a sense of what the games were like.) However, I’ve been listening to the MC advice episodes, and those ones are GREAT! If anyone else is reading this, make sure to try both kinds of episodes. The interviews are very different from the topical episodes.