So today has been a great day for actual play podcasts. I don’t usually tell people about what I listened to because I’m very conscious of all the ones to which I haven’t heard. But when you have a day full of amazing stories and performances then you just have to tell everyone! I’ve listened to four podcasts and the entertainment value they have bought me has been fantastic. Now I like Call of Cthulhu role playing and mostly listen to that kind of actual play but two today were from different systems although the first one is not too far removed from Call of Cthulhu RPG – Warhammer Fantasy Role Play
The Enemy Within – Red Moon Roleplaying
I’ve been listening to Red Moon Roleplaying’s production from the start and they are taking the epic campaign “The Enemy Within” which whilst not as huge as the Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign, is equally a rite of passage for WHFP players! The story is very Call of Cthulhu as the adventurers discover a chaos cult in the town of Bogenhafen where the yearly Schaffenfest of trade, drinking and competition is taking place. The characters have grown as have performances by the players bringing them to life with the games master’s voice being the embodiment of the crazy world of Warhammer Fantasy – when I read my Bundle of Holding PDFs I will hear that voice! It just takes me back to the days when I played this campaign and what fun it was. I can’t wait ‘til they meet the Skaven! The world crafted by the writers of the game and told by the amazing storytellers of the Red Moon Roleplay just makes me really happy when I listen to it. Absolutely fantastic and really recommended. Well done to Red Moon! https://www.redmoonroleplaying.com/games
Electric Dreams – Ain’t Slayed Nobody
The next one I checked out was again not a Call of Cthulhu role playing game but I have listened to other Cthulhu Actual plays that the team have done. Ain’t Slayed Nobody’s trip into Blade Runner Role-playing to play “Electric Dreams” from the starter set has been a welcome discovery. Now don’t hate me, I’m not a massive fan of the Blade Runner films. I love my sci-fi sure but never really connected to this world. But this role-playing game is great and the energy of the cast really bring it to life. The characters are investigating a crime in a futuristic Los Angeles and with them making the world real with gritty descriptions is the GM. Between them all they create an engaging adventure where you want to know just as much about the character’s story as well as the crime they are investigating. This is backed up by Ennie award winning post production from CuppyCup and team. This fantastic production makes me want to look into the Blade Runner world and maybe check out the game. Great work! https://www.aintslayednobody.com/
The Crimson Letters – The Apocalypse Players
Next, we go over to the fantastic and probably soon to be award winning podcast of the Apocalypse Players and special guests. We’re back on familiar ground with the Call of Cthulhu Role playing game as the team tackle the classic adventure “The Crimson Letters”. Everyone in the cast has brought a phenomenal character to the table with equally more played by the Keeper. They get a special shout out for mentioning Gina Gee, I mean who doesn’t want a little bit more? With five in the cast plus keeper you might think that there are too many character in which to stay interested. But as the game has progressed, each one has had the chance to use their scenes to build the scene, drama and story. The magic of the keeper and players building on the writing of the game makes this another resounding success for the team. A really entertaining piece which keeps you on the edge of your seat and you just want to know what comes next. Thank you! https://www.apocalypseplayers.com/
Now the last one of the day isn’t for everyone. Some people just don’t get the strict society order of Regency Cthulhu setting and that’s absolutely fine – there are some people who equally don’t get running around Arkham in the 1920s as an investigator.
Echoes in the Mist – The Old Ways Podcast
The Old Ways Podcast is hitting it out of the park with “Echoes in the Mist”, the story where seasoned Sailors on a regency ship return to home with a young Indian girl come to marry into high society. Set in the ‘Year without Summer’ following the cataclysmic mount Tambora eruption there are further complications when an occult disturbance taints the village where our characters stay.
The special thing about the actual play “Echoes in the Mist”, is that it is an original story written by the super enthusiastic Bridgette Jeffries. If you like Regency stories and Call of Cthulhu check this out. The episodes are fantastically well described and so far it’s had a phenomenal build up to the horror and mystery with the mythos so fantastically original and off the wall. But equally the story has the very strict society that was the Regency era. The characters that the cast have brought to life react wonderfully to the dice rolls and the situations. They are building up to the finale having had a major jaw dropping moment in episode six! Fantastic! https://theoldwayspodcast.com/side-quests-show-notes/
You know, part if me thinks “Echoes in the Mist” should be adapted into a show on a streaming service it is that good but I’m not entirely sure if that would work. “Echos in the Mist” is a fantastic example of how actual plays are a new form of media that have the potential to be deeper than a ‘TV’ show. When you watch a show, you just see the characters doing something – you don’t get any of their thoughts behind what they are doing or saying. Yes, there is good acting and the subtlety of a non-verbal performance is a skill. Actual plays of role-playing games though have the story explained, capture the reasons why the characters act in the way they do so when they progress in the scene, I would suggest there is more empathy with the character. So much as I would love to see this adapted as a big budget visual drama, I’d suggest the only way you would truly get the information behind the characters motivations and reasons for why the story is as it is, would be listening to the actual play podcast. (Oh, or reading a novelisation I guess!) Bravo!
And bravo to all the performers and the creative teams behind the podcasts that are too numerous to mention here so please visit the links above and listen to the shows. When you do, leave a review like I will do when I figure out how to do that on the podcast app I use!! And again, apologies to all the shows that are out there that I haven’t yet discovered, maybe next time!
The sun was shining today. I heard some fantastic creative people, doing fantastic projects with great characters, great writing and I just wanted to do a blog post to celebrate. And if you ever want to celebrate and capture your thoughts then you might like to know I’m dictating this into an app called Otter. I don’t know whether it will work but if you’re seeing this blog post, then hey, guess it must do.
This transcript was generated by https://otter.ai