The best podcasts for actual play fans who want something new and exciting to listen to

Want a DND podcast where magic is RARE for a change? Want to explore a world that feels like you're living through a Brothers Grimm-caliber fairy tale? Do you want a world-spanning mystery with lore that's actually EASY to consume and entirely fascinating the entire time? And how about a cast that features just two players and one DM with incredible trust and chemistry? Look no further than Slay the Stars! For people who are looking for strong storytelling in the actual play space, Slay the Stars is the binge-able tale of your dreams. Having existed for just one year, the show is easy to catch up on with an exciting and vocal fan community. Listen along for gorgeous world-building, fascinating character development, and absolutely gut-wrenching emotional punches like my goodness will Leah ever let me rest?

Big Campaign is a Pathfinder 1E podcast mechanically with some homebrew tweaks here and there to build their sci-fi heavy, anti-capitalistic world. But maybe you don't care about the mechanical goings on of a show and you're more interested in a great and unique premise and if that's the case, CHECK THESE GUYS OUT. Their current campaign follows a group of Repo Workers just trying to do their jobs and it absolutely all the way rules. Thorough world-building, great examinations of the labor industry and workers' role in it, memorable characters and NPCs, and don't even get me STARTED on how great the game's GM is. This is folks who want a fascinating new perspective for an actual play campaign.

The world could use more games in the Fate: Core system and if you've never heard of that, you can't find a better way it's being used than from the fine folks at Two Monsters Rolling Dice. Do you like Westerns? Do you like laughing so hard you can't feel your face? Do you like high-quality audio production? Of course! Who doesn't like those things? TMRD is a laugh riot but it's also deeply charming, well-produced, and some of the most fun on the internet today. It cannot be stressed enough, this podcast is weird as hell in the best possible way. The jokes are intelligent and not your usual table fodder. If you're looking for something in an unheralded system that hits in all the right ways, Two Monsters Rolling Dice is the jam.

If you're into Pathfinder's spacey cousin Starfinder and want something in the "morally ambiguous crew hops around the multiverse getting into situations they have no business being a part of" genre of podcast, boy does it not get much better than Dude, Where's My Drift. A fun twist on the usual sci-fi formula, DWMD is a show all about making the absolute weirdest choice possible whenever the opportunity presents itself. The cast has clearly all been playing together for a while because their chemistry is off the charts, easily anticipating and encouraging everyone's humor and choices. DWMD also offers the unique opportunity to watch them play their game AS IT HAPPENS on Twitch so you can either binge this podcast or catch it as it happens right before your eyes!

Oh, you want some REPRESENTATION in your dnd actual play podcast? Do you want a cast of WHOLESOME FRIENDS having a nice and lovely time solving a riveting mystery and encountering just some adorable NPCs with a DM who's an improv genius?! Yeah, that sounds cool. Rainbow Dice Club slaps, it just launched this year and is catapulting its way into the hearts of people everywhere. Its inclusive, it's wholesome, it can be GENUINELY terrifying, but at its core, it's guided by a principle of kindness. The conflicts and storylines are not bred out of hate or cartoony discrimination, but out of a desire to help and protect your found family. The cast makes a beautiful story together and the DM is so kind and giving, never once imposing her will on the group. 100% worth a listen.