Podcasts I like, now

Podcasts come and go in my podcatcher, thought it'd be interesting to look through what I've got right now and why. I'm using PocketCasts as my cross-system podcast listeriserer. All the below are recommended listening.

What's Good, Man?

  • Link: wgmpod.com
  • Genre: Health/ Self Improvement
  • Schedule: Fortnightly

This is the newest podcast I'm subscribing to, on a recommendation on Twitter from a good friend. Guante & tony the scribe1 discuss aspects of masculinity based on their experience and discussions with others. Very in depth, they don't claim to be experts but talk openly and honestly. The pair are engaging, interesting, presenting their observations and experiences, and end an episode calling on someone else to react to the episode/ bring up their own points.

On the Shoulders of Dwarves

  • Link: dwarfcast.net
  • Genre: RPG (system/ playing)
  • Schedule: Weekly

Hosts Eran and Uri discuss roleplaying games, and the people who play them, tackling a specific topic each week. They are both seasons gamers, having published and participated in the hobby for a long time, and have a great perspective that boils down to It Should Be Fun. They welcome questions and recommendations for discussion topics.

More or Less: Behind the Stats

Presented by BBC Radio 4, the show looks at statistics that are brought up in news/ current affairs/ other discussions and aims to dissect them. See if they are meaningful, what makes up those statistics, and talks to experts to find out what is actually meant/ how they're used/ misused.

COPPERHEART: A RiggStories Audio Drama

I'm in this one, so I'll just quote the blurb

COPPERHEART is an Audio Drama set in an alternate reality during a Nuclear Winter. Over 2,000 people (civilians, scientists, and military personnel) live underground in a multi-leveled USRB (United States Reconstruction Bunker) in Groom Lake, Nevada. They're all just waiting out the clock, preparing future generations to re-claim the surface of the earth...until a visitor arrives.

The Steam Rollers Adventure Podcast

  • Link: riggstories.com
  • Genre: Steampunk, RPG (actual play), Comedy
  • Schedule: Weekly

Based on Michael J Rigg's steampunk/ alternative history books; Michael GMs a group of people through other stories/ events in the world. Currently going through the third American Civil War with the Imperials vs. the Confederates... vs. Texas and possibly witches getting involved. There are occassional Lorepisodes that summarise the goings on, plus Michael has a list of recommended episodes to understand the story if listening to the many, many episodes already up.

Smart Enough to Know Better

The tagline is Science, Comedy, Ignorance. The hosts are Greg and Dan - both magnificent improv comedians, Greg is also a science educator for the CSIRO. They branch out into any science they find interesting, looking into it in unique ways, and having science-based comedy sketches such as Cryptozoo (determining how crypto-creatures could actually work) and Pimp My Time (where one of them is given a place and time period and 1 hour to research how to live like royalty-equivalent in that era, using science).

The Clockwork Cabaret: Steampunk Radio

Only ever tenuously being a pure steampunk podcast, the Clockwork Cabaret is a musical show intersperced with a weekly theme that drives interaction between the two hosts. They've had a world tour, fought against evil orphans and homicidal uplifted koalas. One has run for President, and it's a shame it did not go well. The show has sister podcasts - Steampunk After Dark that has a much more risque focus (and a new host that's a boyfriend-construct of one of the main hosts) and Ladies Who Rant where the two co-hosts stop being polite about issues and just let fly. Sadly Ladies Who Rant has not updated in some time, and Steampunk After Dark's schedule is quite irregular.

Indirect Message

Laci Green hosted a sex-positive information YouTube channel until she abruptly stopped. It's the internet, of course there was 'controversy' involved, but now she's back hosting a podcast looking at Internet culture. There are interviews and quite well constructed looks into topics like Rumours, Meme culture and Cam girls.

Portentous Perils in the 23rd Century

Yes it's set in the 23rd century, but it's during the 6th Great Steampunk Revival so steampunk still counts even if it's future. Cyberspats for everyone. It follows the journalistic adventures of Portentous Synonym and a series of regular characters such as the evil(?) Professor Pun and his Gentlemen; Synonym's curiously attractive and easilly kidnapable fiance, and an unfortunate plethora of holo-Moriarties. All hail the corporate overlords Googapplmazon McUnilever.

Among the Stars and Bones

The audio-records sent back to Earth from a team of space archeologists/ army personelle investigating a dead alien civilization. Things... are not going well. Dramatically so. I know a number of the voice actors on this and it shows their range. Really, really hanging out for season two.

The Dark Archive

  • Link: darkarchivepod.com
  • Genre: World of Darkness lore/ fiction
  • Schedule: Update Damn. Finished. Damn.

The Archivist, who knows a great deal about the lore of many World of Darkness (RPG) beasts and characters. I greatly enjoyed the dramatisation of the Silver Crown/ Silver Fang Albrecht history, they have also looked at some leading Vampire characters as well as some fans/ being involved in a massive LARP event. It costs nothing to keep it in the list and I hope it will return, but it's been a year now.

Update Writing this encouraged me to web-search what's going on and the Dark Archive has been ended due to the RP-community being incredibly toxic. Gaia-damnit, stop driving away good people, RP-community!

A Rational Fear

In the tradition of Good News Week or The Project, a group of Australian notories (mainly comedians with expertise in political satire/ current event savviness; but also other leading talkers like Ray Martin). Lots of grand heapings of mockery and biting looks at what we should really be scared of. And yes, be scared. And amused. And scared.

Calling Darkness Podcast

A very well put together horror podcast, with an ongoing story involving 6 women and accidentally summoning a horrible demon. We ended season 1 on a horror-on-horror note, so itching for season 2. Excellent premise, great storytelling and very believable characters. Moderately high on the ick-stakes in some points so don't go if you're squeemish.

  1. Lower case on purpose. ↩︎