What Would The Smart Party Do?

Very much enjoy listening to Gaz and Baz. Fantastic interviews with industry luminaries and discussions of key games. Despite danger to bank balance, really like the ‘games you should have’ episodes. Highly recommended

I find the best podcasts are those where it feels like you’re eavesdropping on a couple of mates down the pub and every week or 2 you get a little window into a conversation that’s probably been going on for decades. When you do find these hidden gems it can often be irrelevant what the subject matter is, luckily though sometimes form & function combine perfectly and that’s definitely the case here. If you’re of a certain age and into RPGs then you’ll probably find a lot to enjoy here, especially so if you’re British. Saying that this isn’t just another rose tinted nostalgia fest for people incapable of understanding that the reason everything seemed better when you were 13 was because you were 13 and hopefully life hadn’t beaten all the joy out of you by then. In a week of ploughing through their archives I’ve already ordered a few games totally new to me like Troika! so if you want a relaxed stroll through the past, present & future of RPGs then you can do a lot worse than adding this to your regular listens.

Famously, after winning the World Cup in 1963, Bobby Charlton and the lads were celebrating with a game of war. Bobby had to settle a dispute over who had won and suggested rolling a 12-sided die and adding their bend-bars skill. Thus Dungeons and Dragons was invented. In modern times people with beautiful teeth and hair and Hwil Hweaton have popularised the Dungeons and Dragons hobby into a global multi-billion dollar industry presided over by Chris Perkins from his hollowed out volcano. In this podcast, North meets South in an orgasmic audio orgy as two affable old duffers engage in thought provoking conversation about the Dungeons and Dragons hobby and all the other games that it encompasses. Is Earthdawn the greatest game ever written? Is Savage Worlds the greatest game ever written? What's the point of Clerics? Is Hot War the greatest game ever written and, why Pathfinder? just why? Those who like this sort of thing will most assuredly like it. How's that, lads? Nobody reads these things anyway, do they? It's the stars that matter, eh?

If you’re looking for an excellent RPG podcast with friendly advice of the role-playing game hobby (and gaming in general), I can thoroughly recommend The Smart Party podcast. Both hosts and their special guests are insightful, knowledgeable and provide a detailed and expert coverage of Specific RPGs and RPG genres. The actual-play podcasts are also fun and well produced. The podcast flows really well, the hosts are fluent and have fun but also stay “on-message” and don’t ramble. Where the hosts review a product which they see some practical problems with, their reviews and criticisms are always thoughtful and polite. It’s a complete pleasure to listen and I’ve really enjoyed adding The Smart Party to my regular weekly commute listening. I’ve been role playing and wargaming since the 1980s, but the hosts have introduced me to a lot of new things. A great starting point is the podcast on the “Ten Commandments of Games Workshop”, which is terrific and conjures up great memories for any gamer growing up in the 1980s. Well done guys! Strongly recommended!!