Party of One

There are a lot was ways to watch or listen to people playing table top role  playing games.  Party of One is a new Podcast that does things a little differently.  Instead of a huge cast of players, Party of One focuses on the Game Master Jeff Stormer and a single player.  Each podcast is a different game and a different player, so they can vary greatly on tone and subject matter.  As of this writing there are four episodes already recorded and they cover things like luchadors and ancient mummy detectives.  While some of them are serious, when they get funny they are very funny.

Each podcast is self contained, so it’s a great study in telling one and done stories.  The longest adventure is just under an hour and a half.  So you aren’t going to get sprawling Tolkien-esque epics.  These are tightly structured, quick stories.  It’s amazing how much gets done in an RPG session when the table doesn’t spend a half hour talking about how to approach the bad guy’s evil lair.

Knowing that these are solo sessions is one of the things that make it so interesting.  In a larger group game, building that special snow flake character can be looked down upon.  Not every person in a party of five can be a long lost prince or time displaced WWII soldier.  But when you’re the only one playing, you’re free to go wild with the wildest of concepts.  You can make that brooding loner character that never would make sense in a team setting.  It’s a very cool dynamic that is fun to watch play out. 

I really can’t recommend Party of One enough.  The Party of One podcast can be found on Soundcloud, Apple’s App Store, and on Google play.  So find it however you prefer and put it in your ears.