PODCASTS I LISTEN TO

this is an (alphabetical) list of podcasts i listen/ed to and enjoyed! plus descriptions of each of them. everything that makes it onto this list acts as a recommendation but some of them come with caveats

LAST UPDATED: 8/15/23

A KNIGHT OF SHREDS AND PATCHES || ongoing, Genesys actual play

"A world: grown green again and forg’d anew / Forgotten fiber optics, rusted gates; / A sky: dust remnants of a shattered moon / Long out of memory destroyed by fate: / And far below, the people make their way / To farm and fish and live as simple folk / While cryptic ruins linger from the day / Before all cataclysm’d chaos broke. / The Patina - a band in conflict made / Must scrape a living far across the land / And travel armed with rifle, rig and blade, / To rise against all obstacles at hand.

Join us, for now our tale to yours attaches. To carry hope: a Knight of Shreds and Patches."

i skipped all of season one of this podcast because i am not a fan of one of the cast members from season one. season two has an almost entirely different cast than when the show starts (just two of the same members) and i was missing almost no context from starting from that point! i'm also an arc or two behind, but i really enjoy everything i've listened to

ADDITIONAL POSTAGE REQUIRED || ongoing, audio drama

"Clem Bianchi is a courier, delivering mail in space one job at a time in a future where mankind has settled among the stars faster than communications technology can keep up. When a chance encounter awakens them to the ability to hear conversations tied to their mail, they embark upon a journey of adventure, conspiracy, and connections made across the stars."

season one just ended so they're currently on hiatus. this audio drama got me back into listening to audio dramas! engaging characters, wonderful voice acting and sound design, and excellent pacing. super recommend it as a starting audio drama for people who are trying to get into the medium as well!

THE ADVENTURE ZONE || ongoing, multiple-game actual play

"Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy from My Brother, My Brother and Me have recruited their dad Clint for a campaign of high adventure. Join the McElroys as they find their fortune and slay an unconscionable number of… you know, kobolds or whatever in… The Adventure Zone."

current season is called Steeplechase and is GMed by Justin. they're playing Blades in the Dark in an original setting of a state-sized disney-esque amusement park called Steeplechase and it's very good. the only season of TAZ i would staunchly NOT recommend is Graduation but every season has their problems as is the way with most of what the mcelroys make. if you want to start this podcast, i would check the wiki for descriptions of each season and see which one interests you the most, but Steeplechase is also a great place to begin because it's not D&D and they don't treat it like it is (and Justin runs a fantastic story)

ALICE ISN'T DEAD || complete, audio drama

"A truck driver searches across America for the wife she had long assumed was dead. In the course of her search, she will encounter not-quite-human serial murderers, towns literally lost in time, and a conspiracy that goes way beyond one missing woman."

it's a classic for a reason. one of the best long-form horror stories i've listened to. there's a reason people say it's good!

ALONE AT THE TABLE || ongoing, multiple-game actual play

"Audrey plays solo RPGs. Listeners are along for the ride."

i never thought a solo actual play podcast would be compelling but the way audrey puts episodes together and shares the stories of their playthroughs is like sitting down at a campfire with a good friend and listening to them read you a story near and dear to their heart as you drift to sleep. it's a lovely journey to be on.

ARGONAUTS || ongoing, media analysis

"Andrew tries his best to solve Alternate Reality Games. Marn tells him what he should have done instead."

episodes tend to be 3+ hours long and are deep dives into various ARGs that you might have seen the periphery of or never knew existed in the first place! there's also dives into media that inspires or is adjacent to ARGs they've covered and some really interesting discussions about art, interactive fiction, and how the internet changes (or doesn't). i started listening with only a vague interest in ARGs as a concept and had never participated in one and now i've been a part of 3 and made a lot of my own interactive fiction. really great analysis, really great recaps, and it can be pretty dang funny!

AUTONOMIC || incomplete, original-system audio drama

"Respite is a magical world inspired heavily by Indian and Ecuadorian culture. (Click here to learn more about the people of Respite.) Filled with diverse species, terrifying monsters, and devious dungeons, Respite is dangerous enough under normal circumstances. Our young heroes are not in normal circumstances.

Our story follows four young Nomics, superpowered beings that represent concepts like the Trickster or the Detective. Nomics protect the citizens of Respite by using their magical powers to solve mysteries, blaze new paths, or defend the defenseless.Or they would, if all of them hadn’t disappeared twelve years ago…"

went on hiatus a little before the pandemic started and i'm not sure if it's ever coming back but man was it a good actual play. i really really loved it and i'm sad that the story will probably never be finished but i'm happy that i got to listen to what was made

THE BRIGHT SESSIONS || complete, audio drama

"The Bright Sessions is a science fiction podcast that follows a group of therapy patients. But these are not your typical patients - each has a unique supernatural ability. The show documents their struggles and discoveries as well as the motivations of their mysterious therapist, Dr. Bright."

would i recommend the bright sessions? depends on the person but probably not off the bat. was this podcast formative to my teenage years and did i cry listening to one of the sequel podcasts and reading one of the canonical novels? yes. yes i did. i have so many problems with the way the bright sessions talks about mental illness and therapy and what makes us human but it was important to me for a long time ergo, it's on the list.

BRIMSTONE VALLEY MALL || ongoing, audio drama

"The year is 1999. Lurking somewhere between Hot Topic and the food court, five misfit demons from Hell kill time inciting sin in a suburban shopping mall. When the lead singer of their band goes mysteriously missing, the demons only have two weeks to find him before they play the biggest gig of the millennium - or face the wrath of Satan herself."

currently on hiatus as season 2 is being made! one of the funniest and most creative audio dramas i've ever listened to. fantastic voice acting, fantastic plot, and a killer premise that they execute wonderfully.

CAMPAIGN PODCAST || ongoing, multiple-game actual play

"Campaign explores longform storytelling through gaming. Our current story follows the crew of The Uhuru, a skyship navigating a folk-tale world of adventure and danger inspired by the music of the Decemberists.

Our previous Campaign was hosted by Kat Kuhl and set in the Star Wars universe. The Crew of the Mynock were wannabe rebel outlaws who found a family together on the run from the Empire."

so the thing about campaign podcast is that the first season, the star wars season, is one of the most important pieces of media to me. it's some truly cherished art. and the second (and current) season, skyjacks, is...less so. i was caught up with skyjacks for a good while and then it kind of got away from me and now it's been years and i haven't touched an episode but BOY do i still relisten to the star wars season. star wars season is episodes One through One Hundred and Five on the main feed if you're curious. skyjacks IS pretty good, i just tend to dislike james d'amato's narration style so it's harder for it to grab me.

CHAMPS IN THE MAKING || ongoing, media analysis

"From the hosts of several podcasts at Moonshot comes the best idea for a podcast of all time: Champs in the Making. With a revolving table of voices, we’ll use a bracket to find the best Pokémon of all."

wwwwwwWWWWWELCOME TO THE BEST IDEA FOR A PODCAST OF ALL TIME and one of the funniest podcasts i've had the pleasure to listen to. they're on round three as of me writing this and it's one of those podcasts where you don't have to listen to the backlog but i found it very fun to listen to the journey of the bracket. early episodes refer to the network the podcast is one as the orange grovers because that's what it used to be but eventually you'll get to the moonshot era and things only get better from there.

DEAD LETTER SOCIETY || ongoing, media analysis

"Dead Letter Society is a horror book club podcast where your spooky host Marn invites friends into her library of terror to discuss the novels, short stories, creepypastas, and interactive fiction that scares them."

currently on hiatus between seasons! season one has a different guest every episode and season two will be the host and her wife for every episode and i am very excited for it! also i was on an episode and i had a lot of fun.

DEAD TEEN HOUSE PARTY || complete, media analysis

"Dead Teen House Party is a Moonshot limited series podcast where hosts Marn, Emma, Neassa, and Jacqueline keep tabs on the teen drama and murder scenes of MTV’s Scream, a show that has less to do with its namesake movie than you would think."

did you guys know that MTV's scream was a pretty fun show? well i didn't until i listened to some very charismatic hosts talk about it. they finished the show and i believe have some bonus episodes in the work about other similar horror media. can't wait for those!

DESPERADO || ongoing, audio drama

"Desperado takes place in a world almost like ours, if myths and witchcraft were alive and thriving. The story is told by 3 characters, each chosen by the god of Death of their respective culture, as their powers awaken. The first is Elio Lorès. With his tall stature, scruffy beard and too-many scars, Elio has more than enough to intimidate. He grew up in a small village named Azcatla, lost in the plains of Mexico. But on the night it all started, Azcatla is ablaze.

For most of North-America is patrolled by modern-day inquisitors, priests in kevlar vests and cotton sleeves, their armors stitched between centuries. Armed from head to toe, they eliminated everyone in Azcatla under accusations of witchcraft. But Elio manages to escape. He runs to a city in ruins and there he finds the last remnants of an old spirit. The village’s ancestral guardian. And under Elio’s desperate prayer, she awakens again, using him as a vessel for her vengeance. From then on, Elio will have to escape mercenaries and hunters chasing after him. During his journey he’ll be joined by Shinji and Talia, respectively from Japan and Haïti. Together they’ll unite forces under one objective: take down the Old Man In The Sky, the deity from which all crusaders draw their powers.

To survive, they’ll have to become God Killers."

i started listening to this podcast when it first came out and then completely fell off of it when i switched podcatcher apps and forgot to re-subscribe but i'm BACK, i'm IN IT, and it's SO FUCKING GOOD. incredible writing, i LOVE the framing device so much and think that it pulls off the "three friends recounting their story" very well. the characters are utterly charming and the world-building and lore they establish always rules. big fan of this one!

THE EMPTY BOWL || ongoing, cereal analysis

"A meditative podcast about cereal from cereal eater Justin McElroy and Cerealously creator Dan Goubert."

yes i really like the justin mcelroy cereal podcast. what of it. i have so many opinions about cereal now...

THE FAR MERIDIAN || ongoing, audio drama

"Peri hadn’t left her lighthouse in years. Until one morning, the lighthouse was somewhere new. Set adrift to wander new and mysterious places, Peri must face her fears and her memories if she wants to use her new situation to find her missing brother."

on hiatus as its final season is in development and well worth the wait. the voice acting and the sound design are incredible and the premise never feels forumlaic. i'm always excited for wherever peri will stop next.

INTERSTITIAL: CROSSOVER DRIVEN ACTUAL PLAY || complete, Interstitial: Our Hearts Intertwined actual play

"Interstitial is a crossover driven actual play podcast playing the game Interstitial: Our Hearts Intertwined."

an ctual play podcast about licensed characters traveling to the worlds of franchises, running from a giant gas cloud that is also vincent mcmann, or doing high stakes inter-world heists. each season is a different cast and a different plot and they all rule so hard. sans undertale and john cena but-he's-a-cybrog-old-man-from-apocalyptic-earth start dating at one point. it's a perfect podcast.

LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE || discontinued, quiz show

"Recorded live in Chicago, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie is the comedy trivia show of answering questions and questioning answers."

a quiz show where the contestants can lie about the answers and still get points if they manage to trick the other team. and it IS as fun as it sounds. the pandemic closed the theater that it was hosted at but i relisten to the backlog often.

MEDDLING ADULTS || ongoing, quiz show

"Meddling Adults is a whodunnit game show for charity created and run by Mike Schubert. Each week, two guests go head-to-head in a contest of solving children’s mysteries from classics like Encyclopedia Brown, Scooby Doo, and Shelby Woo."

on hiatus right now but the second half of season four is dropping in september 2023 i'm pretty sure. it's a very fun game with a lot of very fun guests! my favorite part of this podcast is when i guess the solution to the mystery before the guests do and i get to feel satisfied about crushing children's mysteries.

MISSION TO ZYXX || complete, improvised audio drama

"An improvised science fiction sitcom following a team of ambassadors as they attempt to establish diplomatic relations with planets in the remote and chaotic Zyxx Quadrant… better known as the “ass-end of space.”

when i first started zyxx, i wasn't sure how funny it would be, but god damn they deliver. did you guys know comedians can tell good jokes? this one is full of good jokes and a genuine love of classic scifi that makes every parody that much better. it's like if lower decks wasn't about star trek (though it came out a while before).

MY BROTHER, MY BROTHER, AND ME || ongoing, "advice"

"An advice podcast for the modren era. The McElroy brothers are here to take your questions and turn them, alchemy-like, into wisdom.”

yes i still listen to MBMBaM. yes some of the episodes are bad and some of them are pretty okay and once in a while there's a real comedy gem poking through. it's worth it to me to keep up but i'd suggest just skipping around to random eps that seem interesting if you care enough to give it a shot.

OVERBROOK || ongoing, audio drama

"Scenic nature parks home to unnatural occurrences. A cozy public library where the doors sometimes vanish. Residents that disappear for a bit and come back…different. In a small, (too) quiet town in upstate New York, a pair of friends juggle dodging horrors beyond imagination while navigating the all too tangible terror of adulthood.

Welcome to Overbrook. If you see something, look the other way."

i used to do VA, production, and writing work for a podcast that died after two years and my crowning achievement with that podcast was an episode that the writer/director/main actor of Overbrook starred in! rhys was fantastic to work with and i really enjoy their work. the writing is clunky at times, but i really enjoy the main dynamic and it's a fascinating world they've made that isn't really like any other podcasts i've tried in the same weird-magic-small-town genre.

THE PODCAST MINES: THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF POD GO WE || ongoing, comedy

"Riley and Andrew spend 90% of their time DMing each other about cool podcasts they could start instead of actually recording them. Now, they’re gonna grab microphones and talk about those ideas instead of actually recording them. Maybe someday they’ll even start a podcast."

one of the funniest "just some guys talking" podcasts i've ever listened to. riley and andrew are very good at pitching their ideas and at being hilarious when the discussion goes off track.

THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENED || ongoing, mutliple-game actual play

"An actual-play podcast focused on communal world building and having fun!

Our goal is to use character-drive narratives to tell complex, emotional stories."

they're currently between seasons! i've only listened to about 1/3 of Elder County, TN (an Urban Shadows actual play set in a fictional county in the backwoods of Appalachia) but i'm trying to catch up and having a grand time doing it.

THE SECRET TREEHOUSE || ongoing, media analysis

"Climb on up! Welcome, make yourself comfortable, and have fun while friends SJ and Gab talk about anything under the sun: films, TV shows, and video games. Anything that interests them, really!"

a podcast that feels like you're watching your friends have a conversation at a sleepover. it's a fun listen even when they have different opinions on the media they cover than i do!

StarTripper!! || ongoing, audio drama

"Feston Pyxis, native of the bureaucracy planet Lorvin, has left it all behind! He’s said his goodbyes, he’s sold all his B-movie memorabilia, and he’s bought a Physiclast QCS-25 K-series ship, known to the wise as a “StarTripper.” Together with the onboard assistant Proxy, Feston’s looking for any and every good time there is to be had across the stars!"

on hiatus while season three is in development. some of the best voice acting in an audio drama i've ever heard in my opinion, and also just a raucous good time! it's the podcast equivalent of a road-trip buddy comedy and they just keep adding more buddies that you keep falling in love with listening to.

THREE LITTLE WORDS || ongoing, media analysis

"Claudia and Nicole rate, read, and rank romance novels on three criteria: Steaminess, Dreaminess, and Memeiness."

listening to people who genuinely love romance novels pick them apart is such a pleasure. and one of the hosts is peruvian which makes me very happy.

TIL DEATH DO US BLART || ongoing, media analysis

"An annual review of Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 from MBMBaM and The Worst Idea of All Time. Every Thanksgiving Day. Forever."

everyone year a couple of guys watch Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 and they will until they die, wherein the podcast will be transfered to whomever they choose to inherit their position. i've seen Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 8 times because of this podcast. that's the best review i can give.

UNNATURAL SELECTION || ongoing, media analysis

"Unnatural Selection is a monthly podcast about film adaptations of books, the weird choices Hollywood makes, and what actually constitutes a “good” adaptation. Each episode is hosted by Emma Shannon and a rotating cast of special guests."

you can tell how much i love listening to people talk about things they love by how many podcasts i listen to about that. this one is a joy! and it's gotten me to read and watch things i wouldn't have tried otherwise

UNWISE GIRLS || ongoing, media analysis

"Jane and Jacqueline, the Unwise Girls, are reading through all of Rick Riordan’s mythology-based book series, from Percy Jackson to Magnus Chase and everything in-between. Jacqueline’s read a lot of these, and Jane’s read just a couple, so have fun on the journey with us!"

for centures, scientists have asked the dire question "will there ever be a riordanverse re-read podcast that's not bad?" and that question went unanswered (to me) until the fateful day unwise girls came to the moonshot network and blew my mind. as a riordanverse-special-interest-haver, the hosts know exactly when to praise rick's actions and when to tear him to shreds (something that needs to happen often). i've tried a LOT of riordanverse re-read podcasts and none of them have been as fun or good as unwise girls.

VERY RANDOM ENCOUNTERS || ongoing, multiple-game actual play

"Welcome to Very Random Encounters, a show where we play pen and paper RPGs in which we’ve randomly determined as many things as possible, including characters, villains, names, places, and other weirder stuff. It all comes together to be a very random encounter."

i haven't listened to every season, but they're all around 16-20 episodes (sometimes less!) long and every single one i've heard was incredible

WOLF 359 || complete, multiple-game actual play

"WOLF 359 is a radio drama in the tradition of Golden Age of Radio shows. Set on board the U.S.S. Hephaestus space station, the dysfunctional crew deals with daily life-or-death emergencies, while searching for signs of alien life and discovering there might be more to their mission than they thought. "

also a classic for a reason! one of the first audio dramas i ever heard and one that i recommend to any fans of sci-fi/horror/comedy/all of the above. it's a great and dramatic time.