Not quite sure what tags to stick on this one. I've been listening to the Hideous Laughter podcast's playthrough of the Carrion Crown Adventure Path. I actually started this one quite some time ago when I was still hanging out in Michigan working for automotive and stuck at home under lockdowns and stuff. The podcast itself started in 2018 and I just finished episode 26, which was filmed in 2019. In general, I've liked it. Now that I'm not stuck at home anymore, actual play podcasts are a possibility for me. I can't listen to them at home; they're not compelling enough as a spectator sport, and I get distracted and read things and then realize I have no idea what's going on in the podcast. But while commuting, they work, assuming that the presentation is engaging and entertaining (sometimes also a problem with actual play podcasts, where everyone is honestly kind of boring to listen to or watch.)
However, I have a few reservations. I think Pathfinder is a terrible system for this kind of thing, because they spend an inordinate amount of time tinkering with tactical rules interpretations. Given the nature of Pathfinder, that's difficult, because no normal person could actually remember the rules very well; especially the kind of people who are performative people; pseudo-entertainers and voice actors, as it were. And it doesn't help that they're always a few drinks in when playing; it's actually part of their "brand" that they talk about what they're drinking while playing. The constant rules discussions are a major distraction from immersion, especially in combat heavy sessions. And because combat in Pathfinder takes as long as an episode of the podcast itself lasts, well... that's all she wrote for those episodes. There's no roleplaying and very few character moments possible when it's all tactical gameplay for the entire episode.
Also, there's some guy who's been sitting in the recording room the last few episodes who yells out random stuff on occasion. That's not a deal-breaker, but it does take away from the atmosphere somewhat. I don't get what he adds other than more distractions and weirdness. A quick scan of reviews suggests that that becomes a more or less permanent addition, which is a bit of a downgrade. Another quick scan suggests that they get political and start talking about BLM and using tranny pronouns (they/them) which is not only confusing but also obnoxious. So... I'm not giving up on the podcast, but it wouldn't be shocking if I do later on, because those will be irritating, to say the least. I'm not convinced that I'm going to enjoy this podcast forever, and I'm only less than 10% through it's run. There's a very good chance that I'm not going to make it before I tire of the thing.
If not, I do like having something other than just music to listen to while commuting. There's lots of options, of course, but I've been enjoying this kind of thing in the short term; gaming related podcasts that aren't lame and nerdy and boring. If I bail on Hideous Laughter, there's always Red Moon Roleplaying Enemy Within playthrough to do. I was going to do it eventually anyway. That's another one of the few that I could kinda sorta actually listen to even when sitting at my PC in my basement office during lockdown, so it'll go over even better as commuter fare. They've also got a Curse of Strahd, a Rime of the Frost Maiden and a bunch of Cthulhu stuff, so I could keep busy with them for some time. Probably until I'm sick and tired of actual play podcasts, honestly.
My own YouTube efforts, to sorta change the subject, have been terrible the last few months. Too busy, too much coming and going and traveling, too much of all kinds of things. However, if I can't get it together before mid-autumn, the "good news" is that my wife will be out of town for probably a couple of months, helping my son and his family when their twins come (I think her main job will be watching the other three young kids.) No matter exactly how this shakes out, one clear outcome that is inevitable is that I will spend a great deal of time home alone. In the evenings and on weekends, I'll have relatively little that I have to do which means more time for things that I want to do. I've already got some movies and TV shows lined up to watch, assuming I don't get them watched in the meantime already, I've got loads of books to read (of course, I'm already doing that, but it'll be accelerated when I'm home alone) and... I've got YouTube videos that I want to record.
Of course, I'll spend some time out of town too, but given my work situation, I can't be gone as much as she is, so, it is what it is.
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