Audio Noise: Swinging For The Fences

Hello everyone and welcome to another swinging installment of the Dispatch!

For this issue we are heading back to the Audio Noise as we take a swing at hitting on the high points of another podcast. Who could it be this time? None other than...

Swing And A Miss

Focus: Actual play sessions for various systems along with a few discussion episodes as well.
Audio Quality: three out of five gamers
Content Quality: three swings and a half swings and less than a couple of misses
Average Length: Averages out to about two and a half hours
Language: No more than you'd expect from your typical group of gamers.

The guys at Swing And A Miss started out with the goal of diving into the broader world of RPGs with recorded one shots so they could share their experiences with the world. Oddly enough, after stating this they posted several episodes that featured one or two sessions from more established campaigns that they were involved in. Not a bad thing but a little inconsistent and a slightly disappointing. Some of these early games sounded really interesting but you only get a glimpse at the adventure which in a few cases leaves you wanting more.

Since those early days, they have really focused back onto their original goal and gone back to one shots with new systems. In addition, they also had put out a few discussion episodes dealing with various things you might run into around the table but it has been a long time since they have done any more of those.

They have also not been the more prolific of podcasts for a while now. Averaging about one new episode every two months shortly after they started, there are others that are much more regular out there.

Even with these things going against them, I still think that it is an interesting listen. Some of the sessions are set in very different places then you normally find (like Shadowrun in the new south for example) or feature some of the less common systems (such as 3:16 and Grimm).

I would also recommend that anyone looking to try running a game for the first time should take a listen to the most recent episode (the Nemesis actual play posted on November 23rd) as it features one of the hosts trying to practice for a con game. It is a very rough session as the game runs into a number of problems but I think it could also very educational for new GMs as you get to see several of the pitfalls you could run into during you first few games.

All and all, while Swing And A Miss might not be the best thing since sliced bread but I definitely think it is worth them a listen. It's always good to hear someone else takes on a system.

The Parting Shot

Well, that wraps up another installment of Audio Noise! Thanks for checking out the blog and as always, if you have any questions or comments feel free to either leave them right here on the blog or you can email me at SinCitySnowman@gmail.com. Plus you can now follow the Dispatch on Facebook by clicking on the like button to the right. Until next time...