Help making a 3.5 podcast

[Mike Miller]

Edit: Here it is (https://pod35cast.podbean.com/) on Podbean (more episodes here (https://podcast35.podbean.com/e/tome-of-battle-base-classes/)) and Here it is (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JOr_BhYQKo&t=6s) on youtube.

After a successful gathering of forumites in this discord channel (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?583454-3-5-discord-stuff), I decided to see if there was interest in a 3.5 based podcast. I had enough of a positive response to try to put something together (flappeercraft, Sunwalker, Lord Charlemagne, PhantasyPen and Unseenmage and possibly some I forgot all expressed an interest in joining up to chat about 3.5 in podcast format). So I decided to post here to gather some opinions on what people might be interested in listening to when considering a 3.5 podcast. The following are some ideas we've already had to talk about: going over books, classes, builds, subsystems, modules, dragon magazine, Q&A thread unanswered questions, popular house rules, current/popular GitP threads, and much more. We also have some questions for all of you in order to help us make this podcast more listen-worthy.

What kinds of topics would you like to listen to in regards to a 3.5 podcast? What kinds of discussions?
How involved / complex do you like your podcast? Should we have hard-to-follow, multi-source, 1-20 builds? Should it be "and a monk would do well here?" Somewhere in between?
Would you prefer pure 3.5, PF, 3.P, homebrew? It would appear most of the people so far (if not all of us >.>) are straight 3.5 players. I figured I would ask in spite of this knowledge, though.
How much GitP forumspeak should we use? Presumably you all are our target audience, but we had a divide of opinions on this matter. Should we avoid/explain/expect-you-to-know terms like Tippyverse, Pun-Pun, Omnificer, etc.?

As of now, we have somewhat structured the podcast's sessions. We plan on doing a sort of rotation of topics. One session would be covering a book, the next a topic, then a dragon/dungeon magazine or two, then a book, rinse and repeat. It isn't set in stone, but it seemed like a good way to keep a variety of topics going.

With regard to releases, scheduling is always an issue. Gathering people and having the time to chat, especially when none of our schedules are set, means the releases won't be regular in the sense of "every monday at 9:00 AM, a new podcast!" However, it seems like we have a good group of enthusiastic 3.5 players, so I'm sure we'll be able to keep the podcasts coming. I hope for one a week, so that we can get a bit of a backlog at times so that uploads can keep happening on the weeks when we can't find a good meeting time.

If you feel you can contribute to the podcast or just want to join the discord, check out the above link.

[pabelfly]

I'm interested in listening to a 3.5 podcast.

I like your list of topics you've offered. Seems like there'd be plenty of variety to the material discussed.

A podcast is something I'm listening to while doing other tasks and mightn't be able to properly examine full and detailed builds, or complex skill or magic combinations without being able to properly read through multiple splatbooks. Also, more generalized discussions and debates would be more helpful, especially if I'm hoping for inspiration as a player or DM.

I don't mind branching out into stuff that's not directly 3.5, including PF or homebrew, but I'd suggest making it clear what sort of material you were going to discuss beforehand, that way people can know what the material will be and if they're interested or not.

I'd explain jargon only as far as is required for a newcomer to understand the resulting conversation. I'd personally find it quite useful since there's stuff I'm still learning about, having only played 3.5 for the last year. I'm sure other people would appreciate it too.

All of this is my own two cents, obviously. Hope this helps, and I'll definitely be listening because a 3.5 podcast interests me.

[Kaje]

I am desperate for a podcast about 3.5 from people with actual in-depth knowledge of it. Go all-out. Spend a couple episodes on basic stuff like tiers and optimization, then head right on over to the deep end. Obscure sources, mix'n'match, pun-pun, you name it. Explain it for those who don't know, but don't hold back. Literally no one is doing this in podcasting or youtubing.

[Aniikinis]

Just joined the discord, completely missed the first thread. To answer your question: go for it. I'd be happy with anything, especially if including homebrew and off-the-wall ideas. I think most people would be fine with somewhere in between highly detailed builds and "and fighter fills this out nicely", as well as explaining jargon as it comes to not overwhelm people. Additionally, you could have something of a bonus episode where you just go through jargon terms and explain them in depth. Also themes for episodes or multiple episodes would be really good to keep some of the juices flowing, along with making sure to note when certain things are 1p, 3pp, HB, etc.

[Troacctid]

I think you have to be firmly committed to your schedule, with regular updates. As long as you treat it like you would a gaming session, it shouldn't be too hard to stick to.

I mentioned it in the Discord, but I'd be happy to go on the show and talk about my Warlockopedia. Also, in this day and age, I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to get access to some of the writers of the books themselves, especially if you get established a little first.

[Mike Miller]

I think you have to be firmly committed to your schedule, with regular updates. As long as you treat it like you would a gaming session, it shouldn't be too hard to stick to.

I mentioned it in the Discord, but I'd be happy to go on the show and talk about my Warlockopedia. Also, in this day and age, I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to get access to some of the writers of the books themselves, especially if you get established a little first.

Hopefully we get plenty of recordings going. So far it looks like there are enough interested people to have at least semi-regular sessions. I believe we have a good shot at creating a backlog of sessions to maintain a regular uploading schedule.

[Malphegor]

My advice when starting out is to have a sort of program schedule you try to cover each episode.

For example, say you have an episode that is broken down into Rules Clarifications/Interesting builds/Showcasing cool stuff/Table Stories, it might be easier to stick to that (I'm reminded of the podcast Shut Up A Second- it started with a format but nowadays it's organised chaos because they've found their groove and pretty much cover everything naturally nowadays) rather than do things organically.

[Seerow]

My advice when starting out is to have a sort of program schedule you try to cover each episode.

For example, say you have an episode that is broken down into Rules Clarifications/Interesting builds/Showcasing cool stuff/Table Stories, it might be easier to stick to that (I'm reminded of the podcast Shut Up A Second- it started with a format but nowadays it's organised chaos because they've found their groove and pretty much cover everything naturally nowadays) rather than do things organically.

Strongly agreeing with this. I've been lurking in the discord, and know you guys have a long list of things you want to cover, but if you try do something like starting with an hour long podcast covering everything in Complete Arcane, you won't hold the attention of people who have been playing the game for a decade (who are your core audience).

You want to mix it up and have a few different segments in each episode. You can keep them broad for flexibility but something like starting off with table stories "What was everyone's week in D&D like this week?" and moving from there into a deep dive into a particular source (whether that's a specific prestige class, a whole supplement, a particular piece of homebrew, or whatever), and finish off with some Q&A (maybe start with pulling interesting questions from the Q&A thread here, but hopefully eventually getting listener questions to respond to)

Also I know you have a lot of people interested in participating, and more you want to get involved, but I'd recommend getting 1-3 people who are there consistently, with others showing up as a guest. I would try to avoid any more than 4 at one time. And pick one person to act as the host, doing start of episode introductions, and whose job it is to keep things from going too far off topic and eventually make the decision "Hey this discussion is super interesting, we'll make it a focus point in a future episode, right now let's get back on topic", or decide when it is time to move forward to the next show segment.

[unseenmage]

I do not disagree with the above.

Wanted to add though that first impressions are important and last impressions even more so.

[Mike Miller]

I appreciate the advice from all. We will try to take what we can into consideration. I feel we have brainstormed well and come up with a decent starting point. Some ideas pointed out above were also discussed in our planning! We definitely want to make the best podcast we can, so continued feedback is appreciated.

[unseenmage]

Should put a link to the podcast in the OP when you can.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Would this make you a podperson?

[Blackhawk748]

Sounds neat, I just joined the Discord. I used to listen to the Order 66 podcast, but I don't often listen to them anymore. I might if the topic interests me. Also I wouldn't mind popping in as a guest if its at all possible. I was actually gonna start doing a series on World Building on my Youtube channel (actually I have the first part up, but haven't moved on from there yet) and I do love talking about modules.

[Kaje]

I don't discord. Please let us know in this thread if and when anything actually comes of this.

[Mike Miller]

Sounds neat, I just joined the Discord. I used to listen to the Order 66 podcast, but I don't often listen to them anymore. I might if the topic interests me. Also I wouldn't mind popping in as a guest if its at all possible. I was actually gonna start doing a series on World Building on my Youtube channel (actually I have the first part up, but haven't moved on from there yet) and I do love talking about modules.

Speakers are definitely welcome. I enjoy talking about modules too. I haven't seen anyone mention world building yet, but I suspect we could find some people who want to discuss it.

[unseenmage]

This was fun to participate in. Thanks for the opportunity.

[Mike Miller]

Thanks to you and all those who have participated! Also, just to note for anyone interested in joining, I have pinned a "sign-up sheet" in the podcast discord chat. Anyone who would like to participate can easily sign up on a given night.

[unseenmage]

Have a good 3.x podcast idea? Want to discuss your favorite 3.x thing?

Anyone interested should head on over to the Discord channel linked in the OP.

[Mike Miller]

Well, I went ahead and uploaded an intro (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JOr_BhYQKo) and the first video (https://youtu.be/rqakrdL9kg0) of the podcast a day earlier than I expected. I just couldn't wait. Hopefully more people can join the discord and perhaps also the podcast! Also, here is a link to the channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJE7Pmad2UDncC63TYkM4gA).

Just so you know, we've already recorded 6 podcast episodes as of me writing this. We have a couple more sessions planned, but could always use more guests. If you haven't looked into the discord yet, check it out! If you haven't looked into joining the podcast yet, check it out! The more people that join the podcast, the better!

[unseenmage]

Super cool. Glad to be a part of this.

[Kaje]

Is there going to be an actual podcast or just a YouTube channel?

[Mike Miller]

Is there going to be an actual podcast or just a YouTube channel?

If there is a free, unlimited storage site for podcasts, there will be a podcast. Let me know if you find one.

[Kaje]

Ok you have fun with your thing you're calling a podcast.

[Mike Miller]

Ok you have fun with your thing you're calling a podcast.

I edited the first post to include the link to it on podbean as well as youtube.

[Mike Miller]

Would people be interested in hearing a podcast series as a sort of DM companion for an adventure path? For example, experiences with each module of the Sunless Citadel AP, breakdowns of encounters, possible changes, things to keep in mind with plot alterations, etc?

[unseenmage]

Sounds pretty awesome. Cant tell you how often I stumble into blind spots when I're run APs.

[Debatra]

Just joined the discord (Debatra#6160), and would be happy to join in if you'd have me.

[Mike Miller]

All are welcome, just check out the #podcast

Also, first post edited with more links.