![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Favourite TTRPG Pods V2
Sep. 26th, 2023 19:52Also because I have, gasp, new podcasts!
The Glass Cannon Podcast: Giantslayer
Summary
The story basically follows the Pathfinder Giantslayer Adventure Path, the short of it is: The giants are threatening the smallfolk, and our heroes have to step up to save the world.
The long of it is: It's an epic adventure about a (mostly) rotating cast of heroes as they struggle against evils greater than themselves with unfathomable plans. The heroes change and grow and learn lessons in ways that are deeply personal to their characters, and each one finds out that they are tied to the story in more ways than previously thought.
My Thoughts
I've pretty much been listening to this one since 2016, their main Giantslayer campaign has just ended after 7 years!!
Honestly, it was such a fun ride, a good balance of comedy and dramatic moments, and I loved every single character the guys introduced into the game (I may have teared up at more than one of their deaths too). Sometimes they got a little bogged down on the game rules, but honestly as someone who likes the whole TTRPG aspect of it I didn't mind it too much, and imho these things were resolved quickly enough.
Their current series is a Strange Aeons campaign they started playing during their liveshows (which they have rebranded as Glass Cannon Live!), and I'm loving that one too! Their characters find themselves waking up in a mysterious asylum with no memory of who they are or how they got there. Great mix of mystery and horror. I really can't wait to dive in to all the new things they've been doing.
For Highbury!
Androids & Aliens
Summary
The story follows the Starfinder Dead Suns Adventure Path as our cast of heroes (humans and aliens) are brought into an intergalactic adventure in order to save the universe! They travel to different planets as they unravel the secrets of the evil organisation that wants to put an end to existence itself, and try to avoid starship combat whenever they can.
My Thoughts
Another one by the Glass Cannon folks, but Sci-Fi this time! This show was such a blast, I loved the cast and what they brought to the table. The comedy was also incredible, there were several moments that literally had me doubled over in laughter!
They introduced a stream element with the show, and watching the livestreams of the episodes was such a fun time as well! I prefer my podcasts in audio-only format, but I didn't feel like my experience was greatly impacted when watching vs listening only. Maybe a few visual jokes were missed here and there, but it was nothing that took me out of the experience.
This show also introduced me to the wonderful Ellie and Sydney and they are hilarious with the cast. They also told a fantastic story together and I'm pretty sure I cried when one of Grant's characters died... I love that they have branched out into new systems with different casts, and this was a fantastic breath of fresh air!
Pretending to be People
INFO
System: Delta Green
Status: Season 1: Completed, 115 Eps. Season 2: Ongoing.
Summary
A Delta Green actual play, though all the scenarios are completely original to the pod.
The first season of PTBP follows three Contention PD officers as they grapple with horrors beyond their imagination and try to save the world-- or at least their little town.
The second season follows a TV news crew for the CAN (Contention Action News) network and things get, frankly, unhinged.
My Thoughts
The guys are absolutely hilarious, and their Handler (Delta Green equivalent of a DM) pulls no punches when painting a scene of all the horror they're surrounded by (and cause, they do cause a lot of horrible things to happen).
I also love all their side stories and the guests they bring into them, every person that has played with the guys has been an absolute delight.
Aside from the horror and the comedy, they can also have some surprisingly poignant story telling moments, and even though they play quite stupidly sometimes (I mean that in the most endearing way) you can really tell they put a lot of thoughts into their characters and the stories they're trying to tell with them.
The Lost Mountain Saga
Summary
Ancient mysteries are waiting to be unearthed in Sweden, and two unfortunate folks are about to learn what lurks in the dark...
My Thoughts
A wonderfully creepy podcast run and played by great ladies, really, listening was a complete blast. It's played using the nordic-inspired game Vaesen, which is where the game master is from, so she knows just how to set the scene, and follows to unlikely allies as they deal with the folkloric, monstrous, and just plain supernatural. Iirc, the last season switches it up and instead of Ellinor as the GM, Anne takes the wheel. I have to admit, I love Elli's GMing but I think she shines best as a player, so having that little switcheroo was honestly wonderful. I really recommend this pod for anyone who likes folklore, witchy, old-timey adventures with things just beyond mortal understanding.
Rogue Runners
Summary
Parodying the Hades video game and bringing their own twist in the universe's story, the players are deceased souls in the Underworld trying to escape and gain a new chance at life. But things are not as they seem, and something seems to be happening that may even be beyond the gods ability to stop...
My Thoughts
A super fun adventure parodying the HADES video game story using 5e D&D rules. I would recommend it to any fans of Greek mythology in general, regardless of whether or not they've played HADES, since the story takes a life of its own (but I would doubly recommend it to fans of HADES like myself, because the podcast is super fun and it helps if you already like the game its based on).
Another podcast where the comedy is really good, but the personal character stories and their relationships with each other keep me invested as well. The players and the DM sound like they're having fun with it, and I just really love listening to all their dynamics.
I think a 3rd season is currently in the works, but there's been no new eps since May '22 :(
The Glass Cannon Podcast: Gatewalkers
Summary
The Gatewalkers adventure path follows a group of so-called gatewalkers as they try to investigate the mystery of the missing moment, a day in which "gates" around the world lit up and lured those nearby to walk through. All the PCs had one of these gate moments and made it back out but, like everyone else, they don't remember what went on inside those gates or why they activated in the first place, so that is what they're trying to investigate.
My Thoughts
Campaign two baby!! At the time of writing this we're only a couple of episodes in but I love everything about it. I am a little fearful of how the fuck they're going to manage five players so that everyone gets an equal time in the spotlight, but knowing what they have accomplished already I do have faith in the crew. Besides, I love all the players currently in the roster and I'm having a blast listening to them together.
Honestly, the character introductions alone had me loving the cast, they are such good storytellers I can't help but be drawn into whatever they're doing, even if it's just lady's night at Patsie's. Looking forward to hearing more of this!
Get in the Trunk
Summary
Seasons 1-3 are basically anthologies following various Delta green scenarios in which a group of investigators try to save the world from the horrors that lie beyond. Season 4 marks the beginning of their Impossible Landscapes campaign.
My Thoughts
I have already expressed my love for the Glass Cannon guys, so obviously I have no complaints there. The mysteries are also quite interesting, not quite grand stories as they're pretty much focused on the present investigation, but it's fun watching the cast trying and failing to figure out what horror they're up against this time.
The only recurring characters in seasons 1 & 2 (the only ones I've gotten around to listen to since the rest are only on YouTube right now) are Roger Cumstone (a traumatised vet who is absolutely unhinged in a stonefaced sort of way, played by Troy) and Skid's author character whose name escapes me rn, but I really like him. Even though with a rotating cast of characters and seemingly unrelated stories, I really enjoy listening to the stories they tell, and honestly Joe as a Handler is super fun to witness.
Haunted City
Summary
Heists and hijinks set in the dystopian Victorian city of Doskvol, where the only thing that shines through the perpetual darkness are the blades in the dark. *roll credits*
My Thoughts
I can't believe I slept on Haunted City, it's really good! I would describe it as grimdark heists with the twist that the players always end up picking the most complex, out of pocket way to achieve their goals. I came for something new (I had never heard of blades in the dark, though I have played another evil hat system) and stayed for the dramatic and complex interpersonal relationships the players developed between their PCs, holy cow talk about drama (but in the best of ways I promise). I have also fallen in love with the cast and their game master (keeper? i don't remember what the term is), they do a great job of telling entertaining and horrifying stories.
Time For Chaos
INFO
System: Classic Call of Cthulhu
Status: Season 1: Complete, 20 Eps. Season 2: Ongoing
Summary
A playthrough of the iconic Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign, in which a mysterious lost expedition sets in motion an epic globe spanning adventure as investigators come face to face with ancient evils beyond the scope of human comprehension.
My Thoughts
This is, hands down, one of my all time favourite shows. The cast is fantastic, the story is gripping, and the horror lurks around every corner. Troy does such a fantastic job as a Keeper in weaving the pre-written story around the characters in a way that feels so narratively dramatic, and the players are also wonderful in how they fully jump into their characters and create a riveting story with moments that make me forget this is an actual-play pod and not a scripted audio drama.
This is a playthrough of the Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign for Call of Cthulhu, and as of writing this season 2 is about to come out, so we'll see what is in store for the Investigators now after having survived a horrific expedition in Peru and a gruesome encounter with the The Cult of the Bloody Tongue in New York.
Listening to TfC is so fun, it's got the goofs and the RP of good friends around a table, but it's also got moments of poignant drama and sanity-shattering horror that really just immerse you into the story and the characters (it's been months and I'm still thinking about the scenes with Vaughn and Oberon like damn I legit almost cried). Honestly I cannot recommend this one highly enough.
