When I began getting back into the Roleplaying Game Hobby about 15 years ago, I had a difficult time finding a group (as often happens). Instead, I found out about Actual Play podcasts. For those new to the idea or concept, here is an explanation of what are Actual Play podcasts.
An actual play podcast is a recording of a roleplaying game session or even an entire campaign. Most Actual Plays are of entire campaign, however there are a few dedicated to one-shots, single session episodes. Actual Plays come in three varieties: unedited, lightly edited, and heavily edited.
Unedited simply means the sessions are recorded, but nothing is taken out except maybe long pauses where no one is talking. Lightly edited means elements of game play, usually rules discussions, are removed. Heavily edited turn sessions into a radio drama, with added sound-effects. Most Actual Plays are unedited to lightly edited.
Also, some feeds just provide the complete session, all three to five hours of it. These will hit your feed as often as the group records. Other feeds will chop up sessions into natural break points or try to make each episode a specific length. These Actual Plays tend to be released on a regular schedule.
Why you should listen to Actual Plays
Besides the enjoyment of it, I like to listen to Actual Play podcasts for inspiration in my own game, experiencing different play styles, and being exposed to different game systems.
Inspiration and Style
As of the time of writing this, my home game group is playing Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. As everyone, except myself, was brand new to role playing games and Dungeons and Dragons, I began with the Starter Set.
While I was not intimidated running this group through the materials, I was curious to see how other groups ran the adventure. Fortunately, the internet has many to choose from:
Let’s have some real talk for a moment: you’re not going to like every actual play podcast. Obvious, I know. You may find the personalities annoying, the game style either too light or too heavy. That’s ok. But it can be a barrier, because you may have to commit 30 minutes or more to a feed before you make up your mind.
Dungeons and Dragons is the 500-lbs gorilla of role playing games sitting in the corner staring at you. That means you can always find plenty of podcasts playing it. It also means that if you’re wanting to play one of their other published adventures (click here for links to those adventures), you can find actual plays.
There was also an official D&D Actual Play that ran an on-going campaign through these adventures, starting with the Curse of Strahd. I loved Dice! Camera! Action! podcast. There are many hours of enjoyable play. It did come to a screeching halt due to some out-of-game controversy between two of the players.
Different Game Systems
Exploring different and new game systems can be daunting. Sure you can read the rule book, but sometimes you have no idea what is you “do” during a game. With Dungeons and Dragons, it feels like the fantasy tropes of Rescue the Helpless Prince, Defeat Ultimate Evil, and Kick-in-the-Door, Kill-Everything, and Loot-Their-Cooling-Corpses is second nature to me.
But if you’re interested in the Cthulhu Mythos and want to play either Call of Cthulhu or the Gumshoe version Trail of Cthulhu, you can read about it. But how do you start a new campaign? What happens during a session? Learning by listening or watching can be very helpful!
The following are the Actual Play Podcasts (most have streaming and video archives too) that are in my podcast feed either now or in the recent past. The feeds have a number of different games being run by different game masters and with various players.
Happy Jacks RPG
My favorite podcast feed for actual play games outside the of Dungeons and Dragons. Their Actual Play feed has a wonderful mix of campaigns over a variety of systems. My personal favorite campaigns of theirs are:
- Saga of the Inukai (Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) 4th Edition (fantasy Japan/China)).
- Dissension (Fantasy Flight Games: L5R)
- Kintsugi Chronicles (L5R 4th Edition)
- Exodus (Traveller)
- Tomorrow Legion (Savage Worlds: Rifts)
- Murmurs at the Abyss (Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition)
- Mote of Sin (Vampire – The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Glittering Night (Vampire – The Masquerade 5th Edition)
They also have a lot of Powered by the Apocalypse system games in their feed. I personally love this game system to run and play, but for whatever reason listening to actual plays of the system is not my thing.
Happy Jacks RPG also has its own one-shot feed. This is a wide variety of games played over one and sometimes two sessions. Finally, they have a separate feed for their long-running advice show on how to run table top games and to be a good human when playing these games too.
One-Shot Network
The One Shot Network has turned into a sprawling collection of various podcasts including a lot of actual play podcasts. Their One-Shot Feed, much like with Happy Jacks RPG one shots, is a great selection of different systems played over 1-3 episodes.
It has three different campaigns under its Campaign feed. I’ve listened to its first one, called The Mynock, which plays under the Fantasy Flight Games Star Wars RPG system. Its next game is Skyjacks using Fantasy Flight Games Genesys system. These games are very improvisational, which befits the Fantasy Flight system and can also be side-splittingly funny.
The One-Shot Network also has a number of other feeds from its larger family of podcasters. The only one I have listened to is the Neoscum, which plays in the Shadowrun universe. I also have to give a special shout out to one its “interview and discussion” podcast feeds, System Mastery. Jon and Jef read and review older RPG systems with lots of bits and fun. A must listen if you happen to turn into an RPG nerd like me.
RPG Academy
Like these other feeds, The RPG Academy combines advice and review feeds with Actual Play feeds. They call their one-shot feed “Field Trips” as they explore various systems. Then their longer-running Campaigns cover a variety of systems.
Saving Throw
Saving Throw is the most recent of additions to my podcast feed. I discovered them through their Wild Cards feed. Wild Cards is playing in Deadlands a Savage Worlds setting. Deadlands is a mix of the Wild West, magical horror, and steampunk. It alters our known timeline from the middle of the US Civil War up through to the 1880s. The War ended in a stalemate and the fracturing of North America between the Union, the Confederacy, various Indian nations, and the Mormons.
A Radio Drama Actual Play
While all of the Actual Plays mentioned so far fall into the lightly edited category, I started listening to one that edits, mixes, and adds post-production effects. It has the feel of a Radio Drama. But unlike the Radio Dramas of the 30s and 40s, these are unscripted.
This Actual Play is from Twelve Sided Stories and called Other World London. The four women players and characters are occultists of various sorts in Victorian London. Victorian horror with powerful female characters is a great mix.
If you want to explore the wilder (and wider) world of tabletop roleplaying games go there! If you want to start to learn on how to paint miniatures, click already! Or maybe you want to read more of my posts about Dungeons and Dragons, then click away here!
