Pretending to be People

Alegernon wasn’t named after Algernon Blackwood, a writer of Cthulhu Mythos??

So much fun listening to these goofballs run their characters through gloriously terrible decisions while they make equally terrible jokes and lose their minds. This podcast is worthy tribute to the elder gods of its world.

I started listening to *Pretending to Be People* during my 5 AM drives to work, and it’s quickly become my favorite part of the day. There's something about the dark, quiet roads and the eerie atmosphere outside that makes the show even more intense. The mix of horror, mystery, and unpredictable chaos fits perfectly with that early-morning chill when the world still feels asleep. The storytelling is top-notch, and every episode has me on edge, gripping the steering wheel as things get weirder and more terrifying for the characters. It feels like I’m right there with them, unraveling the mysteries and creeping closer to the unknown. The dark humor is great too, giving just enough of a break from the tension to keep me hooked. If you’re into creepy, immersive stories that will make your morning drive feel like a descent into madness, I highly recommend *Pretending to Be People*. Just be prepared—you might find yourself driving a little slower so you can finish the episode!

I’m binging my way through PTBP’s back catalog now — just finished Season 1 — and I’m going to be sorry when I run out of new episodes. This is a fun, high-energy actual play using primarily Delta Green, with some diversions into other systems, and the long-form campaigns are original, not published scenarios. The players are happy to take risks and make “bad” choices for the sake of interesting story, and play off each other so well. Zach builds a great world and is always ready to “yes, and” the players as the story builds — I’m reminded a bit of the TAZ Balance arc in the manic creative energy of Contention’s story growing far beyond small-town policing. I also really love the way he handles it when a player has a murderhobo moment — he doesn’t try to stop them from doing what they want, just uses that incident as a seed for future events/conflicts that develop out of their choices. Great stuff. Also I love the obvious friendship among the whole crew, how much they like and are fans of each other (while also being happy to tease). The humor is often crass but never mean. Pretending or not, these are great people to listen to.