SIX FEATS UNDER

I’ve started listening to 6FU for their RENEGADE SCUM campaign, and every episode is a joy. It’s a bunch of folks who are clearly having so much fun with it, and that great group dynamic between the players translates to a great dynamic between characters. Their performances, voices, and timing are all excellent—it’s all around a delight to listen to! Also, the depths of Star Wars knowledge used for trivia & puns is fantastic.

Six Feats Under is an actual play tabletop gaming podcast that explores lesser-known tabletop RPGs as well as crafting wonderful tales in a way you might not get out of a more grognardy, rules-lawyering, bunch of people or crunch-heavy fighting-focused mainstream RPGs. As of this date (July of 2018), there are two main campaigns, although there have been plenty of others, both long and short, in the past, as the project that formed the podcast you listen to today goes back nearly a decade. The current campaigns are Fellowship: To Winter's End and Mouse Guard. Fellowship: To Winter's End, GM'd by Gnome, is an adventure of a ragtag bunch of heroes in a world collectively crafted by the players and the DM (who, by the way, is the game's creator). The main cast are Yuria Bloodtongue (played by Riley), a red panda with 0RC cybernetics, lost and struggling to deal with her self-doubt and the trauma that made her the cyborg she is, Poptart (played by Joey), a childlike river spirit who wants to make a difference in the world, only to find the world is much bigger than just their river, Friar Pan (played by Clove), a young, new variety of dragon, lost and confused and trying to make the best of their mistakes and their origin, and Harbinger (played by Ikks), a mysterious cloaked figure with incredible magic, an odd sense of humor, a strange pet semingly made entirely of tentacles, and a mysterious point of origin. Together they must stop a terrifying being with immense power over ice known as Aurorealis who wishes to engulf the world in an unending winter. Along the way they must deal with 0RC monstrosities, a corrupt king, and their own personal issues. Additionally, all of the hosts of this campaign are from the LGBT community and one of the underlying themes of the podcast is the struggles of being LGBT in a hostile world. Mouse Guard, based in the setting of the graphic novel series of the same name, and hosted by Grant (also known as General Ironicus in certain Let's Play communities) deals with a collection of mice sworn to protect the mouse territories from dangers and strife within and without. The campaign has these mice divided into two different partols, shifting and changing along the way. The heroes are Tander (played by Drakkel), a tenderpaw seeking a life of swashbuckling adventure, Francisca (played by Riley), Tander's mentor who despite her long experience as a guard mouse, must still learn there is more to being a protector than brute force, Lily (played by Eliza), a tenderpaw seeking to find a new, exciting life away from her past life as a street urchin, Sable (played by Arden), Lily's mentor, who is like a caretaker to her companions with a history she'd rather not remember, Zeke (played by Devious Vacuum), one of the survivors of a village destroyed by an owl and now believes he bears a curse, Isolde (played by Poor Weather), a mouse of science who must deal with the fact that she can't always live a life of solitude when on patrol, and Marx (played by Gnome), a mouse with a past of rebellion and insight who always puts the needs of those around him above himself. As they go through the trials and tribulations of the life of a guard mouse, tensions between the mice and their natural enemies, the weasels, bubble under the surface and speak of something far greater than they would have ever expected in the coming seasons. The show also features a fantastic custom soundtrack written by Thylancinus, which can be hear throughout the show, amplifying the impact of the stories immensely. If you are a new listener I personally suggest starting with the short campaigns and oneshots, such as Law's Out, Monsterhearts, and the recent Final Bid, to get a feel for things and then going into the above mentioned main campaigns, and perhaps digging into 13th Age, the previous main campaign, when you've caught up. You can learn more about the shows from the creators at sixfeatsunder.com. Perhaps join the discord chat!

Incredibly fun, silly, and at times, heartbreaking, this podcast has something for everyone. I found myself getting sucked into the adorable world of Mouse Guard before diving into the complex and moving narrative of To Winter’s End. Bonus points for fantastic LGBT characters and stories told by a diverse cast.

I like it