Homebrewed Podcasts
A couple weeks ago I mentioned in my life update that I’m a member of an entertainment network and this week I’m following up to dive into that in depth.
The Homebrew Network is a network of TTRPG AP podcasts. Want me to say that in English?
Table-Top Role-Playing Games (TTRPGs) are essentially collaborative storytelling. Dungeons & Dragons is the most famous TTRPG, but there are many others enjoyed by gamers around the world. (And I’m designing one myself! Follow along at mythcraftrpg.com and share with anyone who might be interested.) In a TTRPG, each player designs a character, and one player (usually called the Game Master or GM) presents the players with a scenario. The other players then react to the scenario as their characters would, and when the outcome of an action is in dispute, they roll dice and add their unique special abilities to determine the result of the tension. It’s similar to a lot of video games: like many video games, you don’t play the whole TTRPG in one sitting. You slowly work your way through an ongoing story, often that takes a year or longer, and your character gradually gains more power as you go. Unlike most video games, the GM has more capacity to tailor a story specifically to each player’s fancies and make it a truly collaborative and fulfilling experience.
Actual Play podcasts are a genre of radio drama. While radio dramas are usually scripted, Actual Plays are not: they are a cast of players actually playing a TTRPG.
And that’s what I’ve been doing for about a year now! I’m the GM of one of the network's actual plays, and I’m one of the players in another one of the shows.
The Homebrew Network is a network of TTRPG AP podcasts. Want me to say that in English?
Table-Top Role-Playing Games (TTRPGs) are essentially collaborative storytelling. Dungeons & Dragons is the most famous TTRPG, but there are many others enjoyed by gamers around the world. (And I’m designing one myself! Follow along at mythcraftrpg.com and share with anyone who might be interested.) In a TTRPG, each player designs a character, and one player (usually called the Game Master or GM) presents the players with a scenario. The other players then react to the scenario as their characters would, and when the outcome of an action is in dispute, they roll dice and add their unique special abilities to determine the result of the tension. It’s similar to a lot of video games: like many video games, you don’t play the whole TTRPG in one sitting. You slowly work your way through an ongoing story, often that takes a year or longer, and your character gradually gains more power as you go. Unlike most video games, the GM has more capacity to tailor a story specifically to each player’s fancies and make it a truly collaborative and fulfilling experience.
Actual Play podcasts are a genre of radio drama. While radio dramas are usually scripted, Actual Plays are not: they are a cast of players actually playing a TTRPG.
And that’s what I’ve been doing for about a year now! I’m the GM of one of the network's actual plays, and I’m one of the players in another one of the shows.
The Network's Shows
We currently have four shows on the network, each of which are a TTRPG AP. Below, I briefly describe each show and the show’s current campaign. (A “Campaign” in this context is a series of adventures that tells an overarching story.)
Each of the shows are explicit and include adult themes.
Each of the shows are explicit and include adult themes.
The Homebrew
The Homebrew launched in spring of 2020, and is coming up on its three-year anniversary this May. The flagship podcast of the network, the one that started it all, the Homebrew is a Sci-Fi Space Opera podcast focusing on the deep philosophical questions of life. The Homebrew’s first campaign, Absurdism & a Millennium Abroad, has just reached 100 episodes and will be coming to a conclusion soon. The Homebrew’s second campaign has been teased, but no campaign name has been announced yet.
Sanity Damage
This one is mine! I’m the GM of Sanity Damage, originally called “The Kaleidosphere”. Sanity Damage is the network’s second podcast and focuses on horror. Our first campaign, To Whom the Sea Belongs, is a high seas campaign focusing on a gritty group of swashbucklers and ne’er-do-wells in a world of pirate guilds and Lovecraftian monsters.
Power Word Fail
I’m one of the players on Power Word Fail, the high fantasy podcast of the network. This one places the most emphasis on the interpersonal drama that develops within a group of strong-willed adventurers that struggle with the unintended consequences of their actions.
World Weavers
World Weavers is a live show that you can watch weekly on YouTube at 7 EST! Aside from being a live show rather than a podcast, World Weavers also has three tiers of play, with the players microscoping down to the individual lives of their characters, or telescoping out to co-narrate massive world events.
The Homebrew launched in spring of 2020, and is coming up on its three-year anniversary this May. The flagship podcast of the network, the one that started it all, the Homebrew is a Sci-Fi Space Opera podcast focusing on the deep philosophical questions of life. The Homebrew’s first campaign, Absurdism & a Millennium Abroad, has just reached 100 episodes and will be coming to a conclusion soon. The Homebrew’s second campaign has been teased, but no campaign name has been announced yet.
Sanity Damage
This one is mine! I’m the GM of Sanity Damage, originally called “The Kaleidosphere”. Sanity Damage is the network’s second podcast and focuses on horror. Our first campaign, To Whom the Sea Belongs, is a high seas campaign focusing on a gritty group of swashbucklers and ne’er-do-wells in a world of pirate guilds and Lovecraftian monsters.
Power Word Fail
I’m one of the players on Power Word Fail, the high fantasy podcast of the network. This one places the most emphasis on the interpersonal drama that develops within a group of strong-willed adventurers that struggle with the unintended consequences of their actions.
World Weavers
World Weavers is a live show that you can watch weekly on YouTube at 7 EST! Aside from being a live show rather than a podcast, World Weavers also has three tiers of play, with the players microscoping down to the individual lives of their characters, or telescoping out to co-narrate massive world events.
Patreon
If this interests you, and if you want to support us, head to our patreon and check out our different tiers! The lowest monthly subscription is $2, or about a third the cost of a Starbucks drink, and it offers you a MASSIVE amount of content. We release talk shows where we discuss theories about the different actual plays; monthly PDFs about different characters in the shows; fantastical maps from the different locales explored in the podcasts; and more at higher subscription tiers!
I know this isn’t everyone’s thing, but this is something that I find deeply fulfilling and I’m glad to have shared this window into my life. Regardless of whether you check out our shows or not, thanks for reading!
I know this isn’t everyone’s thing, but this is something that I find deeply fulfilling and I’m glad to have shared this window into my life. Regardless of whether you check out our shows or not, thanks for reading!
