D&D Actual-Play Podcasts Worth Listening To

[Just Jeff]

A few years ago WOTC set up a gaming session with Jerry Holkins, Mike Krahulik (Penny Arcade) and Scott Kurtz (PVP) to showcase D&D 4ed. This accomplished two things: convinced me I had no interested in 4ed, and made me laugh out loud many, many times. And the artwork that went with each podcast was, of course, wonderful.

The next year they set up another session with the same players and characters, but this time added Wil Wheaton. Now, I'm not a Wil Wheaton fan. In fact, I find him a rather unpleasant soul. But again there were many a laugh and some great artwork.

In 2010 they came together again with the same characters, this time in front of a convention crowd and cameras. That's as far as I've gotten, but it looks like they've done two more podcasts, plus another convention in 2011.

The podcasts can be found here: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/podcasts.aspx

Part one of the 2010 video can be found here: http://youtu.be/uqXqK3ZlqWI

None of these are work safe (unless, of course, you work in that kind of place). If I recall correctly, the DMing in the first series wasn't very good, and the podcasts could get slow at times, but it gets better by the second series. If you want to follow all the jokes in later sessions, best to listen/watch in order.

[moriarty777]

I heard about this but never really sat down to check it out. My cell phone can play pod casts though so maybe I'll actually get around to doing.

Thanks for sharing.

M

[MormonYoYoMan]

Yecch! Way too juvenile and riddled with obscenities. Deleted from my drive immediately.

Cannot recommend it.

[dachda]

Another source of good actual play podcasts is http://rpgmp3.com/. Various gaming groups submit their games and represent a wide variety of systems, including Call of Cuthulu, Rolemaster, Pathfinder, various versions of D&D and some groups do one-offs of things like Backswords and Bucklers, Victoriana, Forgotten Futures, Pirates of the Spainish Main, Traveller etc....

The website is a pain to navigate thru, so the best way is to go to the forums, pick a group and download thru their topic threads.

[Just Jeff]

Yecch! Way too juvenile and riddled with obscenities.

Didn't I say Penny Arcade and PVP? And adding WW to the mix certainly isn't going to tone things down.

[MormonYoYoMan]

Not at all familiar with the adolescents in question.

[Just Jeff]

When I'm not familiar with something, I find it best to heed "not safe for work" warnings. (I learned that the hard way, but quickly. And my therapist says I'm mostly recovered.)

[MormonYoYoMan]

That used to mean "Very, very loud." Which gives you an idea of the sort of tricks we played on each other at WordPerfect and Novell 15+ years ago. (Yikes! Has that much time passed already?)

[Cardinal Thor]

I've listened to these multiple times since they've come out. Great stuff! Made me realize that 4e can actually be a mediocre game if you have a fantastic DM

Point of fact, I'm running my players through the second series adventure, the one with the tower and the ruins beneath, reflavored as a vampire warren.

-CT

[Just Jeff]

Point of fact, I'm running my players through the second series adventure, the one with the tower and the ruins beneath, reflavored as a vampire warren.

Did your group include a mage hanging upside down from the ladder, blasting away with a wand? "Ladies and gentlemen, the Jim Darkmagic magic."

[Sir Ironside]

I tried to listen through the first one when it came out originally. Like what was said above I found it too juvenile and just reinforced the idea that I had no interest in 4e, as this seemed to be a vehicle of promoting it.

[serleran]

It might be worthwhile, but really, I don't care for hearing how other people play. It just makes me want to play more.

[Just Jeff]

Lately I've been watching "D&D Robot Chicken" videos, which is five writers for Robot Chicken play 4e, again with Chris Perkins as GM. While each video opens with an "adult language" warning, these guys are much tamer than the PAX gang. The first few of the 10-minute videos are pretty dry, but once they hit their first patch of ice, the entertainment value ramps up pretty quick.

Here's part one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJN1JvnRGWE

[Relaxo]

Chris Perkins? Is that CS Perkins of "I made my own next edition with the first edition cover pdf" fame?

[Just Jeff]

I have no idea. He's usually WOTC's GM for the big public sessions. I don't pay much attention to WOTC, so these podcasts/videos are the only place I've seen him.

A sick cat had me up in the wee hours of the morning, so I watched a few videos from the Elmore/Greenwood/Salvatore gaming session at Gen Con 2010. Perkins also ran that. Salvatore was in fine humorous form. Gotta watch that rogue.

[SaveVsFail]

Chris Perkins is the Creative Director for D&D over at WotC. I think that's his title anyhow, or the equivilant.

The best part (to me as a game designer) about those PA podcasts is that they are Mike's (Gabe) first experience with any kind of tabletop gaming. It's really cool to hear him go through the proccess of groking what is going on and how things work and really just getting into it. He ended up DMing a 2 yr long campaign off the back of playing in these.

Good stuff.

The podcasts over at Fandible.com are quite good as well.

[Just Jeff]

Chris Perkins is the Creative Director for D&D over at WotC. I think that's his title anyhow, or the equivilant.

Whatever his position, in his commentary on the Robot Chicken session, he mentions getting TPKs in one night. That makes him okay in my book. But really I'm just envious of the four games (all weekly?) he was playing it at the time of the commentary.

The best part (to me as a game designer) about those PA podcasts is that they are Mike's (Gabe) first experience with any kind of tabletop gaming. It's really cool to hear him go through the proccess of groking what is going on and how things work and really just getting into it.

I remember Kurtz being dumbfounded that Gabe had never played D&D. In the Robot Chicken session, neither Kevin nor Tom have played D&D. By the end, Kevin gets it, but Tom still seems lost (which doesn't stop him from throwing down some major mojo when it no longer matters).

The podcasts over at Fandible.com are quite good as well.

Thanks for the pointer.