Podcasts

I was going to get around to doing this eventually, but since Lee requested it I bumped it to the top of my schedule.

This is part of the same series as my recent YouTube article. Just like that was a roundup of the best channels on YouTube, this is a roundup of the best Podcasts I am subscribed to.

Note: I get every single one of these Podcasts through iTunes, you can get podcasts on iTunes by searching for them on the iTunes store. If you don’t like iTunes there are a few other ways of getting access to the shows. You can go directly to the relevant website and download the mp3 directly or you can find some software (known as podcatchers) that will help you manage your subscriptions.

If you have an iPod then iTunes is your best option. The main reason for this is that iTunes will allow you to set things up so that your iPod always has the most recent episodes of a podcast, or just the ones you haven’t listened to or whatever you like. Furthermore you can set iTunes so that it automatically deletes an episode once you’re done listening to it.

The Morning Stream

This podcast is released every day Monday through Thursday. You can catch it live here around 4 or 5pm (the hosts live in America so 4pm here is 9am where they live). Alternatively you can subscribe to the show and listen to it whenever you have the time. The show is very entertaining, the hosts are very professional (they both do this for a living) and they are supported by a range of guest hosts and live callers. The show is one of the only ones on this list that doesn’t cover a specific topic. The hosts describe it as simply a morning show and I’ve heard them talk about everything from Skyrim to Presidential elections to the Oscars to supposed Bigfoot sightings. The best advice that I can give you is to download an episode and give it a listen.

Oh and if you’re confused about the clip at the start of the show, they get dumb adds from the 70s and 80s and play them at the top of every show.

3.5 Private Sanctuary

This one is a sneaky way for me to recommend two podcasts at once. The 3.5 Private sanctuary feed on iTunes contains two shows 3.5 Private Sanctuary and Know Direction. Both Podcasts are about the Pathfinder roleplaying game, though they also discuss various RPG topics that aren’t system specific. My favourite part of this show is that they have recordings of seminars given at Paizocon and Gencon from the last two years, and those were some of the most informative things I have ever heard with regards roleplaying games. The shows can both be found at 35privatesanctuary.com.

There is one thing I feel I should point out. My choice of d&d podcast would have been the official Wizards of the Coast podcast. Unfortunately they haven’t recorded a new episode since June last year, so I didn’t want to recommend a show that might be dead. However, the episodes are still on the website and on iTunes and there is some really good 4^th edition stuff on there, so if you’d rather hear about 4^th edition than Pathfinder check out here or search “Dungeons and Dragons Podcast” on iTunes.

The Instance

This show has, from time to time, been the world’s most popular podcast. The Instance started out as a World of Warcraft podcast, but with the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic they have branched out and created a show covering that as well. You would imagine that a show about something like World of Warcraft would be uninteresting to someone who doesn’t play the game. However they get a remarkable number of emails from people who don’t play the game, or used to play and don’t anymore, and I can attest that the show is very entertaining to anyone with any interest in video games (The Instance was actually one of the things that persuaded me to give WoW a try in the first place). You can find the WoW version of the podcast at theinstance.net and the Star Wars version at theinstance.net/tor and both are on iTunes.

Nitpixels

This is supposedly a video games podcast, but I think “three hosts rambling” would be a more apt description. Nonetheless this show is very entertaining, particularly when the hosts get derailed and start rambling about some random topic. Go check out www.nitpixels.com or – for the same hosts in a slightly more focused format – check out The WoW Insider Show or The Holocomm Podcast where the same hosts talk about World of Warcraft and Star Wars: The Old Republic respectively.

Film Sack

This is ostensibly a podcast about films. Unlike most podcasts about films (such as The Movielicious) this podcast is not about current, popular or worthwhile films. They describe it best themselves: “Each week, the FilmSack crew picks a strange movie from the bowels of Netflix streaming and splatters it all over your inner ear. Sometimes it’s a long forgotten horror movie from the 70′. Sometimes it’s a under the radar gem of brilliance from last year. One way or the other, this is not your typical movie show.” This show is one of the only places where you’ll see Howard the Duck, The Wrath of Kahn, and Lethal Weapon 2 discussed side by side. This is a great podcast. The shows about films you’ve seen are usually the most enjoyable (their episode on Flash Gordon made me burst out laughing on a public bus) but I’ve listened to them discuss many I’ve only ever heard of (like The Fly) and had just as much fun.

That rounds out my top 5 podcasts. Those of you who go check out a few of the podcasts here may notice the same hosts showing up in several places. That’s because many of the shows I like best are from Scott Johnson’s Frogpants Studios. You can find a lot more shows on that website including some that very nearly made this list.

I’ll finish by pointing out two last podcasts. These are podcasts that didn’t make the list for reasons other than how good they are.

First Critical Hit is a D&D actual play podcast (meaning they record themselves playing the game). This show is really professionally done and entertaining (I can’t imagine us remaining focused at D&D the way these guys do). The reason it didn’t make the list is that I skip over the combat sections of the episodes and if someone was to start listening to the show today it might take an episode or two to catch up with what the story is (although they might do a recap episode soon since they just finished a campaign arc).

Nonetheless this show is worth a listen, it was one of the major factors that made me want to get into D&D. Furthermore I have stolen ideas from this show quite liberally, so some of you might spot my sources of inspiration if you listen closely.

The second (and final) show on the list is Coverville. This is a podcast all about cover songs. Each episode features around 10 covers, usually tied to a particular theme e.g. 10 covers of U2 songs. The reason this isn’t in my top 5 is that I don’t subscribe to this show, I just pick out the episodes I think I’ll like and download those. Nonetheless, I’ve enjoyed this show quite a bit and you might too.

I hope you find something on this list that you like. I don’t know how I’d cope with 4 hour bus journeys without some of these shows. Please get back to me and tell me if you liked any of these shows.

Paizo’s Bestiary 2 – Review

If there’s one thing rpg companies can be relied on to produce it’s monster books. However, Paizo’s first Bestiary was unusual since it needed to update all the “classic” 3.5 monsters to be Pathfinder compatible. The Bestiary 2 gives us our first look at how well Paizo can design new monsters. So let’s get right in…

Art & Production Quality
I wanted to start with this since it’s the reason I have this book sitting here in my hands rather than staring down at me from my computer screen. Like all the other Pathfinder hardcover books thus far, this book is gorgeous. From the cover art (featuring a monster I’ll get to later) to the layout to each and every monster’s drawing this book is just a pleasure to read. Every page is full colour, and – excepting the occasional two page spread – every page contains an illustration of the monster(s) it describes.

New Monsters Groups
Since my knowledge of the 3.x line and what came before it are far from complete, I cannot be sure whether some of the monsters appearing here are brand new, or just new to Pathfinder. However, I‘m going to list all the creature groups that – at least in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game – make their debut in this book.

Right at the start they introduce the Aeon, a group of bizarre creatures dedicated to preserving the multiverse’s balance. This pretty much sets up the tone for the majority of the other creature groups since they all have some kind of connection to the planes. They also introduce the Agathion – Neutral Good anthropomorphic animals from the plane of nirvana. The Daemons make their debut appearance here (and just when I had mastered the difference between Demons and Devils…) as planar monsters from Abaddon with a cool story link to the Four Horsemen (who are presented as the Daemon’s Lords). The Gremlins are a type of low CR fey beast with which to annoy – rather than threaten – your pcs. The Inevitables – a group of Lawful Neutral planars, The Nightshades – who are very high CR and appear to be basically undead Demons, the Proteans – the Chaotic Neutral planars from Limbo and the Qlippoth – native fauna of the Abyss round out the list and ensure that you can keep playing Planescape games for the rest of eternity if you so wish.

Old Monsters
There were some monsters that struck the Planescape nostalgia chord even for me. Fans of Sigil and the great wheel will be pleased to see the likes of the Achaierai, the Bodak and many many others reappear in the book. We also get a whole host of variations on existing monsters such as new angels, archons, azata, demons, devils, elementals, giants, golems, lycanthropes, oozes and trolls. The periodic table of the dragons is extended here with the addition of primal dragons (and you’ll be happy to know they reprinted the dragon charts from Bestiary 1).

The book also contains a few themes other than the planar one. You will see a great many fey creatures and a many, many new undead (the Draugr and Winterwights would allow you to put an Elder Scrolls or Song of Ice and Fire spin on your game if you so chose). Another theme that runs throughout the book is giant insects. The bee, cockroach, fly, maggot, mosquito and tick have all been hit with an enlarge spell and can make fantastic monsters, so long as your players aren’t too queasy.

Classic Monsters
A lot of things in this book feel to me like they should have been (and indeed I thought they were) in Bestiary 1. The Banshee and Drakes are examples and I was surprised a classic monster like the Hippogriff didn’t make the first Bestiary (though it must be said; that was a mighty tome). We get other monsters here with mythology that goes beyond ye olde roleplaying games such as the Kelpie, Siren and the Leprechaun (which pleased me no end to see). The addition of the Poltergeist, Sandman & Scarecrow will allow you to inflict all your childhood nightmares upon your players.

Playable Races
Of course this is the one reason most players who don’t GM would pick up this book, but even for me as a GM I’m constantly on the lookout for new races to add to my worlds. This book presents the Dhampir – half human, half vampire, the Fetchling – humans from the Plane of Shadow, the Grippli – a race of small humanoid frogs, the Ifrit – Humans with connections to the elemental plane of Fire who’s ancestry includes Efreet, the Oread – Humans with connections to the elemental plane of Earth who’s ancestry includes Shaitan, the Sylph – Humans with connections to the elemental plane of Air who’s ancestry includes Djinn and the Undine who are (surprise surprise) Humans with connections to the elemental plane of Water who’s ancestry includes Marids. None of these races really caught my attention. I‘m not a fan of half-races and only the Dhampir had mechanics I found at all interesting

Honourable Mentions
So they included a lot of monsters but which ones really grab your attention? Which will actually see use in your games? Well for me the top dog in this book is the Jabberwock – who graces its cover. Lewis Carroll’s contribution to our roleplaying heritage is evident in the Vorpal sword, but that weapon really finds it’s place when pitted against the monster it was invented to slay.
We also get the Akata, a cool CR1 monster which comes with an immunity, a weakness and a potential zombie plague all rolled up in one little package. I also liked the new Dinosaurs and Megafauna since they add potential animal companions for your druids & rangers (giant sloth anyone?). We get a headless horseman in the form of the Dullahan, which was cool but on the very next page we got the Dust Digger, the image of which evokes the Sarlacc from Star Wars Episode VI (your character will be digested over a period of 1,000 years!).
Rounding out the list are the Ogrekin and Petitioner templates (I love giving villains templates), the Ravener template which lets you create Dragon Liches.

Conclusions
Overall this books is fantastic, it gives you a lot of cool and in many cases brand new monsters to play with. The write ups are great and potential hooks for including all these monsters in your game can be found throughout the book. The only let downsides are the new pc races which I found lacklustre, and this book won’t be as useful to you if you are unwilling to include any planar elements in your game, though even then the other beasts still make this worth picking up.

I rate this book 9/10, only losing the final mark due to one or two dodgy write ups and the slight over emphasis on planar creatures.

Check back soon, when I’ll be reviewing Monster Manual 1 for Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition.