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wheredoievenstart · 2 years

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Where Do I Even Start: Elixir

Start with: “The Jaded Rose” (Episode 1)

Why THAT Episode?

This podcast starts off strong and continues strong, so the first episode is a fantastic - and necessary - place to start!

What Is The Podcast About?

Elixir is a fantasy fiction podcast from the production company Realm set in a Prohibition-era fictional city, Locq (pronounced ‘lock’). It follows two protagonists, Elsie and Vera, as they navigate a city divided. There are speakeasys versus teetotalers, gangs versus honest business owners, and underground revolutionaries versus a two-faced city government. The podcast is narrated by three voice actors - Keylor Leigh, Marin Miller, and Ava Maag - and written by Ellen Goodlett.

The city of Locq has put a ban, not on alcohol, but on elixirs - potions that endow the drinker with a small bit of magic! The magic depends on the elixir, how it’s brewed, the other ingredients, etc. With elixirs being banned, many speakeasys have popped up around the city - and with them, conflicts between ‘legitimate’ brewers and powerful bootleggers looking to takeover the scene entirely.

There is much more to the plot than just that - you’ll have to listen to find out more!

Why Should I Listen To It?

Oh boy, where do I begin?? Well written, wonderfully voice acted, compelling plots and subplots - it’s truly an engrossing storyline! Plus, and this is a spoiler the two protagonists fall in love! Magic, speakeasys, revolution, wlw, conspiracies - it’s got it all! Give it a try!

~Happy listening~

#Elixir #Realm #podcast #Elixir podcast #podcast recs #podcast recomendation #episode rec #episode recommendation #magic #prohibition #potions #wlw #fiction #fantasy #revolution #conspiracies #where do I even start

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wheredoievenstart · 2 years

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Where Do I Even Start: The Sleepy Bookshelf

Start with: “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Part 1″*

Why THAT Episode?

This podcast is great from it’s first episode to the most recent one! Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is the first story they start with and it’s surprisingly soothing - perfect for falling asleep to!

*BUT! You don’t have to start with Wonderland - maybe The Wizard of Oz is more your style? Or you’d rather revisit Pride & Prejudice? There are quite a few stories to choose from - browse them and if one strikes your fancy, start with that!

What Is The Podcast About?

The Sleepy Bookshelf is a podcast that is meant to help you fall asleep by listening to classic stories read in a calm tone by host, Elizabeth. Any and all ads are read in the beginning, followed by the introduction, a short breathing or stretching exercise, then a recap of what happened in the previous episodes (if it’s not the first episode of a story).

Why Should I Listen To It?

The Sleepy Bookshelf is truly set up well for inspiring sleep! I’ve listened to many a podcast to fall asleep, but very few of them are actually meant to lull you to sleep. The Sleepy Bookshelf, though, is perfectly formatted for sleeping!

I’ve mentioned how the show starts already - the recap allows you to fall asleep towards the end of the previous episode without missing out on the story. The stories are also edited to keep the main storyline and characters, but ‘upsetting content’ is removed. It’s been a good while since I’ve read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, so I can’t remember what if any upsetting content exists in the story, but I’ve never felt like I’ve missed out on anything important.

In fact, the podcast has actually helped me understand a few stories better than I did on my own! Particularly understanding the nuances of Pride & Prejudice - and I read that one in school, you’d think I would know a thing or two about the nuances! But, nope, it took The Sleepy Bookshelf’s recaps to really give me a better understanding of the story.

Overall, a nice, soothing podcast specifically created for falling asleep to!

~Happy listening~

#the sleepy bookshelf #podcast #pocast recommendations #podcast rec #episode recommendations #episode rec #podcasts to fall asleep to #pride & prejudice #alice's adventures in wonderland #where do I even start

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wheredoievenstart · 2 years

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Where Do I Even Start: Pretending To Be People

Start with: “A Seriously Blown Opportunity” (Episode 6)

Why THAT Episode?

While the whole show is wild, the episode is particularly fun and wild at the same time! It’s got a lot of Jackass-esque stunts that get pulled while moving the podcast’s plot forward. It gives you a good sense for the characters and their personalities while making you laugh your head off!

What Is The Podcast About?

Pretending To Be People is a live-play rpg podcast combining the Delta Green and the Pulp version of Call of Cthulhu systems. There are three players, Thomas, Luke, and Joe, and their DM Zach. It’s got eldritch horror, a mystery to solve, and a lot more comedy than their show description implies!

The show opens with a morning radio DJ giving the audience a recap of the past episodes and introducing their opening theme - “No Backbone” by Kudzu - as a new song each time (which I personally love as a gimmick!). The story is set in a fictional town in Missouri called Contention, and the players are 3 local cops who are less than competent at their jobs - that’s where the laughs and ridiculousness come in!

Why Should I Listen To It?

The players & DM seem to have been friends for a long time, and you get to feel like you’re at the table with them, listening to them tease each other and laugh at inside jokes without feeling isolated. I’m personally not familiar with Call of Cthulhu, the Pulp version of it, or Delta Green, but I really feel like they do a great job of showing how they play the game in a way that I could imagine myself playing it!

This is a great podcast if you enjoy live-play podcasts. It’s also great if you really liked the Amnesty arc of The Adventure Zone. It might actually have even more comedy than TAZ does!

You’d also like it if you like Wayward Pines, The X-Files, or Welcome to Night Vale, as long as you’re ready for a lot more silliness!

I’ll say that the table talk (when they’re speaking out of character and outside of game) can sometimes get crude, even for my tastes, but it’s only happened a few times so far and the entertainment of the podcast as a whole outweighs the crude moments!

~Happy listening~

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wheredoievenstart · 2 years

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Where Do I Even Start: The Magnus Archives

Start with: “MAG 81 - A Guest for Mr. Spider” (released November 22, 2017)

Why THAT Episode?

“A Guest for Mr. Spider” has a similar format to their other beginning episodes but involves a f r e a k y children’s book of the same name. However, it’s not just a spooky story told in the format of a recording for a spooky archive - it teases other past events from the previous two seasons (I’ll explain, I promise!) that will get you interested in the rest of the podcast!

I’ll be honest - while The Magnus Archives should be an instant hit for me, I’ve tried getting into it at least 3 times, without success. I’ve listened to the first 8-ish episodes several times and haven’t been able to really get hooked. BUT! This episode, while much later in the story, was the first one that made me feel intrigued by the past episodes and willing to go through the first two seasons to get at exactly what happened to the narrator.

What Is The Podcast About?

The Magnus Archives is a surrealist/horror fiction podcast from the Rusty Quill network where each episode features a different fictional story, framed as a recording that has been entered into a mysterious archive that the newest archivist, Jonathan, is sorting through.

However, there is a continuous plot throughout the podcast (as the suggested episode “MAG 81 - A Guest for Mr. Spider” references). I’ve seen a ton of fanart for the show that also seems very intriguing, if the visuals would intrigue you!

Why Should I Listen To It?

Many people have linked The Magnus Archives to Welcome to Night Vale in terms of surrealism/horror and a continuous plot. The shows are both made up of generally self-contained episodes with the plot coming through in subtle ways at the beginning. They both have multiple voice actors, sound effects, and are well-produced.

I would also say that you could compare The Magnus Archives to The X-Files if you’re more inclined to TV show comparisons! They’re both presented as separate cases, again with that continuous plot (sub-plot?) throughout.

In one sense, it’s also similar to The Librarians (TV show and movies) and Warehouse 13 (TV show). Both of those TV shows have a lot more humor than The Magnus Archives, but they both have that ‘odd case’ format.

While it’s still a difficult podcast for me to personally get into, I know of a lot of people who truly love it, so give it a try!

~Happy listening!~

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wheredoievenstart · 2 years

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Where Do I Even Start: Sawbones

Start with: “38. Sawbones: Medical Cannibalism”*

Why THAT Episode?

‘Medical Cannibalism’ may sound gross and scary, but it actually happened! They didn’t eat, um, ‘fresh’ people, though - they ate mummies. YEAH. MUMMIES! Why did they do it, you may ask? Well, that’s exactly why you should listen to this episode!

This episode follows the typical format of their episodes, and they’ve found their flow by this episode (they find their flow earlier than this episode). Plus, the topic is so intriguing that it will get you interested in the show itself!

Asterisk * time! Their episodes are all self-contained (maybe there’s the odd multiple-part topic, and there are repeating segments), so you can scroll through the titles and really pick whatever interests you! You can also always start with their first episode, “1. Sawbones: Trepanation.”

So, the recommendations are: “38. Sawbones: Medical Cannibalism,” whichever episode sounds intriguing, and “1. Sawbones: Trepanation.”

What Is The Podcast About?

Sawbones is a medical history podcast meant to entertain, hosted by Sydnee McElroy (an actual medical doctor) and her husband Justin McElroy (not an actual medical doctor). Sydnee presents a topic and the research she’s done on it by telling Justin about what she’s found; Justin serves mainly as the comic relief, playing the dunce to Sydnee’s expertise. Again, it’s meant to entertain the audience - it should not be used for medical advice/opinion, and you always have to allow for human error (although Sydnee goes to great lengths to research each topic).

The podcast trends towards the comedic and the historical - they try to cover strange or funny medical trends from the past. However, they do go into modern fads and some more serious topics, addressing the fads with humor and the serious topics with gravity.

Why Should I Listen To It?

This is another McElroy podcast from the Maximum Fun network, so if you listen to any of the other McElroy podcasts (MBMBAM, The Adventure Zone, Shmanners, Wonderful!, and others) then you’ll like this one! Sydnee also hosts another podcast with her sisters called Still Buffering - so if you like that one, try Sawbones, too (and vice versa)!

If you aren’t familiar with the podcasts previously mentioned, then you should listen to this if you enjoy funny and/or serious history topics. Most people who enjoy history podcasts in general will also enjoy Sawbones!

~Happy listening!~

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wheredoievenstart · 2 years

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Where Do I Even Start: Welcome to Night Vale (WTNV)

Start with: “10 - Feral Dogs”*

Why THAT Episode?

There are a lot of great episodes to start Welcome to Night Vale with - the podcast itself has several recommendations (which I’ll address in a bit). I like suggesting this particular episode to people because it’s got some humor in it - who doesn’t chuckle at the thought of a pack of anarchist puppers running around causing havoc? This episode, while slightly more humorous, follows the general format of the other episodes and gives you a good idea of what to expect as far as the tone of the story itself.

But it’s far from the only episode I’d recommend! I actually like their Pilot episode quite a lot! It’s engaging and draws you in at the beginning.

One of the episodes the podcast itself recommends - that I heartily agree with - is “13 - A Story About You.” It’s different from the usual episodes, but not so different that it throws you off. I actually find that episode kind of soothing - I’ve put it on to fall asleep before.

So, my recommendations are: “10 - Feral Dogs,” “1 - Pilot,” and “13 - A Story About You.”

What Is The Podcast About?

Welcome to Night Vale (WTNV) is a fiction podcast that I’d put into the ‘surrealism’ genre with a healthy dose of horror and/or gothic. Not every episode is filled with horror, but it certainly keeps a foot in that camp. I will say the horror is more on the gothic/eldritch side rather than violence and gore, if that helps.

The premise is that you’ve tuned into the local radio station for a small town out in the desert called Night Vale, where strange things are always afoot. But, what’s ‘strange’ to you, the listener, most likely isn’t strange to a typical resident of Night Vale. When I first watched the TV show Wayward Pines, it reminded me of this podcast!

Why Should I Listen To It?

If you enjoy surreal, horror, and/or gothic themed media with several sprinkles of humor, you’ll enjoy this!

The story is fascinating, the voices and sound are fantastic, and you just might find a fun song you enjoy! How, you ask? You have to listen to find out!

If you like The Kirlian Frequency (TV show), The Magnus Archives, King Falls AM, Unwell, and Camp Here & There, you’ll like this podcast!

I adore WTNV, personally, although I have done a poor job of keeping up with it. It’s worth getting into!

~Happy listening!~

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wheredoievenstart · 2 years

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Where Do I Even Start: Not Another D&D Podcast (NADDPOD)

Start with: “Frostwind’s Mandatory Celebration of Maximum Luminosity: A Somber Festival (Holiday Special w/ Amir Blumenfeld)” (released December 19, 2019)*

Why THAT Episode?

This episode is a one-shot with the three recurring characters from the first Bahumia campaign, plus guest Amir Blumenfeld, who had not played D&D until he guested on NADDPOD. You get a good introduction to the first three characters played by regulars Emily Axford, Jake Hurwitz, and Caldwell Tanner, as well as the DM’ing style of Brian Murphy (who goes by Murph). There is a lot of humor and fun - even as things go wildly off the rails in the first few minutes!

This is also a great episode to start with if you have never played D&D before and don’t know what it’s like. I sent this episode to a friend who was new to D&D to give them an example of how loose and silly D&D can be, which helped them feel more at-ease about being a newbie at the table! The characters all play at a low level for this episode, and the players aren’t shy about being silly. Plus, listening to a session with a brand-new player can make you feel better about not knowing as much yourself. (And you get to see what happens in a worst-case scenario...but you’ll have to listen to figure out what I mean!).

Asterisk * time! If you’re ready to commit to a few more episodes than just one, but aren’t ready to jump into the beginning of their first long campaign, you can also try “The Mavrus Chronicles- Ep.1: Hot Boy Summer (w/ Zac Oyama),” the first in a 7-episode mini arc. It’s straight-up fun, with Emily DM’ing for Caldwell, Jake, Murph, and Zac. Ever wondered what D&D + MTV Spring Break equals? It’s The Mavrus Chronicles!

And, of course, if you want to jump into their first long campaign, I would actually suggest starting right at the first episode, “Ep. 1: Green Teens Gone (The Moonstone Saga).” They do a good job of finding their feet quickly in a way that will pull you into their show.

So, my recommendations are: “Frostwind’s Mandatory Celebration of Maximum Luminosity: A Somber Festival (Holiday Special w/ Amir Blumenfeld),” “The Mavrus Chronicles- Ep.1: Hot Boy Summer (w/ Zac Oyama),” and the very first episode of their first campaign, “Ep. 1: Green Teens Gone (The Moonstone Saga).”

What Is The Podcast About?

Not Another D&D Podcast (NADDPOD) is a live-play Dungeons & Dragons podcast DM’d by Brian Murphy and consistently featuring Emily Axford, Jake Hurwitz, and Caldwell Tanner. They’ve rotated DM’ing duty and have had long-stint guests like Zac Oyama and Lou Wilson. They play campaigns of their own making, and have plenty of silly moments with some deeper, more serious moments thrown in.

Why Should I Listen To It?

They know how to have fun! This group isn’t afraid to be silly as they make up things on the fly, and they have a lot of funny one-offs/short arcs you can listen to (they have a Donkey Kong series. DONKEY. KONG.). They have a lot of quick jokes that stick with you - like the saying “I’m an agent of chaos and a manager of expectations” (from the recommended episode)!

If you listen to The Adventure Zone, you should try it because their silly-to-serious ratios are about the same (as I said in my TAZ post). If you listen to Critical Role, you should give this a try if you’re ready for a lot more silly moments!

~Happy listening!~

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wheredoievenstart · 2 years

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Where Do I Even Start: Distractible

Start with: “Bob’s Fridge" (released June 21, 2021)

Why THAT Episode?

While this episode isn’t wholly typical for the format of Distractible, it’s one of the funniest and most relatable ones! It’s great to help you get into the podcast if you don’t know the hosts from YouTube and other streaming sites - Mark (Markiplier), Bob (muyskerm), and Wade (LordMinion777). You get a good sense of their chemistry and a genuinely funny story with a healthy dose of schadenfreude.

What Is The Podcast About?

Distractible is a comedic conversational podcast (although I’m not totally sure that’s an official podcast category...but let’s go with it) hosted by three friends who also stream videogames on YouTube and other platforms.

The show has a format that could be considered similar to Whose Line Is It Anyway - one of them hosts the episode, and the other two ‘compete’ by telling stories related to the episode’s topic. The host of the episode assigns points based on the stories - although whether the points actually matter is debatable!

I started off watching Mark’s videos (Markiplier on YouTube), and he regularly plays videogames with Bob (muyskerm) and Wade (LordMinion777), who are streamers themselves. (If you want to get into the videos and want a lot of laughs, try this episode of Heave Ho, also featuring jacksepticeye [Sean]).

Why Should I Listen To It?

Each episode of Distractible has the same format but a different topic (well...mostly), making it easy to listen to while keeping the content fresh. The rotating main host format also helps keep things fresh, while limiting it to the same three people creates consistency.

It’s a funny podcast that can sometimes get serious, and the chemistry between them is positive, funny, yet inviting - you don’t feel like you’re left out of their conversation, but happily sitting back and enjoying listening to them debate silly things.

If you like My Brother, My Brother, and Me but want a more consistent format, this is for you! I think you’ll also like it if you like Smartless, but full disclosure, I haven’t listened to that one yet - I know about it from MBMBAM.

~Happy listening!~

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wheredoievenstart · 2 years

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Where Do I Even Start: The Adventure Zone

Start with: “The Adventure Zone: Dadlands“ (released November 28, 2019)*

The Adventure Zone is one of my favorite podcasts, so I thought this would be the best place to start!

Why THAT Episode?

Well, first, notice how there was an asterisk * next to the episode suggestion? That’s because there is more than one episode I’d recommend for starting The Adventure Zone, but it depends on where you want to jump in.

The suggested episode - “The Adventure Zone: Dadlands” - is a live one-off that’s DM’d (or hosted, if you’re new to TTRPG terms) by Brennan Lee Mulligan, possibly best known from Dimension 20. A one-shot is easier to commit to, and this particular one is full of humor, great characters, and fun! It’s easy to listen to and will have you cracking up, which may be more likely to help you get into the show itself!

BUT! if you want to get into the beginning of the podcast/the Balance Arc, start with Episode 10 “Murder on the Rockport Limited - Chapter One.” This episode is from their Balance Arc. Why Episode 10 and not Episode 1? The first few episodes are slow-going, because they are figuring out how to play D&D as they also figure out how to podcast themselves playing. By Episode 10, they’ve found their stride and figured out their characters more, so you have a better chance of becoming invested in listening to them. So I suggest listening to all of the “Murder on the Rockport Limited” episodes, then going back to the first episode and getting the background (there’s a character that you don’t want to miss meeting!).

If you want to get into a more recent section of the show, I’d highly recommend Amnesty - Episode 1 from their Amnesty Arc. It’s their Monster of the Week campaign, set in a fictional town in West Virginia. So if D&D is just not your thing, this is a great place for you to start. It’s also great if you want something a little more on the southern gothic/horror side (though it isn’t TOO southern gothic/horror).

So those are my three suggestions: “The Adventure Zone: Dadlands,” “Murder on the Rockport Limited - Chapter One,” and “Amnesty - Episode 1.”

What Is The Podcast About?

The Adventure Zone is a live-play podcast from the Maximum Fun network, hosted by the McElroy brothers (of My Brother, My Brother, and Me) and their dad. They started off with playing Dungeons & Dragons, but expanded to Monster of the Week and have done one-shots with other game systems and, sometimes, with guest players or hosts.

There are several campaigns, both long and short, that are separated into story arcs. The Balance Arc was their first arc, followed by the longer arcs Amnesty, Graduation, and Ethersea (current arc as of May 2022). There are shorter arcs that have been done as one-offs, some of which are only available to MaxFun supporters (like a Patreon but through their network in particular).

Why Should I Listen To It?

If you like live-play podcasts with a fair amount of goofiness and hijinks, but also want some serious moments in the mix, then this is for you! If you already like any of the other McElory podcasts (like MBMBAM, Sawbones, Shmanners, Wonderful!, and others), then you’ll most likely enjoy The Adventure Zone as well.

Not familiar with the McElroy podcasts? If you like Not Another D&D Podcast, then definitely give it a try - I’d say they’re comparable with their silly-to-serious ratios. If you like Critical Role and can handle a lot more silliness, then you should give it a try!

~Happy listening!~

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wheredoievenstart · 2 years

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Hello, and welcome to “Where Do I Even Start?”

One of my favorite things to do is to recommend the *perfect* episode to get someone into a podcast that they’ve wanted to try!

My goal is to become a reference resource for people to use to help them figure out if they want to listen to a certain podcast and which episode to start with.

I am by no means saying that I’m a professional reviewer...or a consistent poster...but I want to help!

If you have a podcast and/or episode that you’d like to suggest, drop it in the Ask!

#podcast #podcasts #podcasting #episode #episodes #choosing podcast episodes #how do I choose a podcast episode #review #podcast reviews

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