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Roll For Initiative-Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (enhanced)

By DM Vince, DM Nick, DM Will & DM Matt

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Podcast Description

Join DMs Vincent, Nick, Will, Matt and guests as they kick it back to the '80s and explore the world of old school gaming, with Advanced Dungeons and Dragons First Edition. Join them each week as they dive in the system that everyone loved to play. Contact us RFIStaff@gmail.com, Join us on facebook: http://facebook.com/rfipodcast

Customer Reviews

When it's good, it's great. When it's bad...

When it's good, it's great. When it's bad, well... it can be painful to listen to.

Sometimes the hosts are well prepared and enthused for their topic, and that preparation translates into a quality show. For example, Issue 31 "Psionics" was entertaining because the former host Jayson went to great lengths to give psionics a run in his own games, even though he wasn't a fan of using psionics previously. The discussions surrounding his experiences was enlightening as a result of his prep, field testing, and his comfortable way with words (gift of the gab, I suppose). By comparison, Issue 55 "Take That Crispy" was painful, just painful. The episode meanders, there's no focus and each segment just accidentally lurches into the next "well I guess that's enough about that, Table Manners is next." It's like being at a party and the DJ plays Men Without Hats's "The Safety Dance," immediately followed by Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey." Might as well punch the listener in the ear. The chemistry just fails sometimes where it's a bit too much of host Vince having an inside conversation with guest host Crispy, and host Nick isn't part of the "gang."

Where the podcast shines, and I mean really knocks your socks off, is when they have special guests. Show 5 (Matt Finch), Issue 13 (Jeff Grubb), Issue 18 (Margaret Weis), Issue 26 (Frank Mentzer), Special Insert 3 (Larry Elmore), and Issues 51 and 62 (Tracy Hickman) delivered terrific content. Not always polished or refined, but really great material. The special guests, however, are not frequent enough to make the show a consistent winner.

The hosts are, of course, unpaid fans talking about a game they love, so their levels of facility with the talk-show format vary. Host Nick is that happy sort of guy you'd enjoy gaming with, who possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of Dragon magazine and all the monster hardbacks. As a host, he struggles with the back and forth interaction, and on various segments often just reads verbatim from a source, rather than free-forming his own discussion (we all already have the books and could read them whenever we want, we listen because we want to hear the hosts' ideas and be a fly on the wall for their discussions). Advance prep and notes will help greatly. When he is speaking on topics that he feels comfortable with he does well, so the key is having him focus on those topics.

Host Vince has a great deal of gaming experience, and often provides entertaining anecdotes of his past game sessions. He is not a terribly electrifying speaker though, and often fails to facilitate the interaction between members of the show. The circus needs a ringmaster to keep it going, and I hope in future episodes he takes an active role in facilitating the discussions between hosts, and between hosts and guests; segues, follow-ups, and the like.

Former host Jayson provided a great depth of understanding of the rule dynamics (bordering on rules-lawyering). What he possessed, which was a tremendous asset to the show, was his comfort with speaking. Easy flow and choice of words, guiding his thoughts to provide a steady and enjoyable dynamic to the show. He did, however, have a tendency to be pedantic, which sometimes bordered on rude, but the breadth of knowledge on the game, and is ability to relate that knowledge was invaluable.

The show producer, Matt, provides an excellent addition to the show, albeit as an intermittent guest host, primarily because he is thoughtful and well spoken, which helps guide the rocky dialogue of hosts Vince and Nick along.

The big positive prospect for future episodes lay with their newest host Will. Will is fantastic. Give that man a contract. Honestly, his enthusiasm and knowledge of the system comes shining through very clearly, as does his preparation for each episode. He has a confident manner and facility of speech that smoothly guides the show along. He does not just go with the flow, and on occasion happily disagrees with his other hosts, but will always have a thoughtful addition to support the counterpoint. More Will, please! Issue 67 "Ravenloft" was particularly good, thanks to his contributions.

At the end of the day, the listener is getting a free podcast about a fun subject, and as a pleasant way to pass an hour, it will suffice. The show is more often quite good, than it is bad. Many listeners, like myself, will find themselves nostalgically reminiscing about the 1st edition they grew up with, but may find themselves wishing for a much more polished experience. New converts to 1st edition looking for a retro experience may find themselves a little lost, but will have a chance to experience the Byzantine mechanics of old-school, which has a quality all its own. With additional show prep, hosts finding a confidence in their speech, and a facilitator taking a more active role in moderating the flow of the show, playing upon the strengths of each host, and minimizing their weaknesses, the RFI Podcast will deliver a pleasant diversion to your day.

Keep it going.

The entire podcast is formed of a very knowledgable pair, and is very informing. Both host have a history of the game and are willing to share their experience. I don't play AD&D, but greatly enjoy the show. Thank you guys for the production, and keep it going.

I Miss Jayson!

Great podcast when all three hosts are present. Merely good when Jayson is not. While I like Nick and Vince as part of the complete team I don't enjoy the content as much as when Jayson is there to pontificate on the the more technical aspects of the rules. Jayson tends to keep the show on track, adds a wit and curiosity (and much needed focus) to Nick and Vince's lighter goofiness. Honestly, I'd rather wait a longer time between podcasts provided the three hosts were present than to listen to a compromised show. Don't get me wrong, I love all three of the hosts but they function best as a team.

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Roll For Initiative-Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (enhanced)
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  • Category: Other Games
  • Language: English
  • © Copyright WGP 2012

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