Friends at the Table explained

Italic:yes
Friends at the Table
Italic Title:yes
Genre:
Hosting:Austin Walker
Language:English
Began:September 2014

Friends at the Table is an actual play podcast hosted by Austin Walker. The podcast has been active since September 2014, and episodes are released weekly. The collaboration between the gamemaster and the players is a major component of the show, in contrast to many tabletop role-playing games where the gamemaster has total control over worldbuilding.

Production

The show is an actual play podcast, but due to its heavy editing, the show is similar in presentation to a radio drama or audiobook.[1] Players on the show contribute to worldbuilding more than in many tabletop role-playing games, where worldbuilding is often left to the gamemaster.[2] The show has been producing episodes since September 2014, and releases episodes on a weekly basis.[3]

Cast

Seasons

The show is split across two feeds: the main feed, which is accessible for free on the website and on podcast platforms, and a paid feed via Patreon. The main feed includes weekly episodes, which are split into seasons. The end of a season is marked with a "post mortem" episode, where the cast answers questions about the season.

Seasons one and two of the show were based on Apocalypse World.[6] According to Walker, he drew inspiration for season six from Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, Code Geass, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Aldnoah.Zero, and .[7] Various other seasons of the show have drawn elements from many different tabletop role-playing systems,[8] including Dungeon World.[9]

Season no.! rowspan="2"
Season nameOriginally releasedSystems used
First episodeLast episode
1Autumn in Hieron (formerly Seasons of Hieron)September 12, 2014June 19, 2015Dungeon World

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective (holiday special)

The Sundered Land (episode 20)

2COUNTER/WEIGHTJuly 15, 2015June 26, 2016The Sprawl

TechNoir (beginning episodes)

Stars Without Number (faction game episodes)

Microscope (faction game episodes)

Kingdom (interlude)

Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands (finale)

2.5MarieldaJuly 14, 2016October 14, 2016Blades in the DarkThe Quiet Year (beginning episodes)
3Winter in HieronNovember 18, 2016June 28, 2017Dungeon World

Follow (holiday special)[10]

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective (holiday special)

4Twilight MirageJune 29, 2017September 10, 2018The Veil

Follow

Scum and Villainy

Futura Free (finale)[11]

5Spring in HieronOctober 10, 2018September 19, 2019Dungeon World

The Quiet Year (finale)

5.5The Road to PARTIZANOctober 3, 2019August 3, 2020Dialect: A Game About Language and How It Dies

Armour Astir: Advent

Ech0

Dusk To Midnight

Beam Saber

For the Queen

Microscope

6PARTIZANDecember 19, 2019February 5, 2021Beam Saber

Kingdom (holiday special)

War in the Year 3000 (finale)

7SangfielleMarch 11, 2021June 16, 2022Heart: The City Beneath

The Ground Itself (beginning episodes)

Inhuman Conditions (episode 21)

Anamnesis (episode 52)

7.5The Road to PALISADEAugust 26, 2022January 20, 2023HOUNDs

Stealing the Throne

Last Shooting

Wagon Wheel

Lancer

Orbital

Serious Reading

My Way

Upstairs & Downstairs

City Planning Department

8PALISADEMarch 10, 2023TBAArmour Astir: Advent

Questlandia (finale)[12]

The Patreon feed consists of one main campaign (Bluff City) along other show formats and extras.
Patreon Feed!Show name!Description
Bluff CityThe main Patreon campaign, released parallel to any ongoing main feed seasons.
ClapcastA collection of bloopers cut from various episodes.
Live at the TableOneshots or short series played live, usually on a stream available to Patreon patrons.
Tips at the TableAn advice show where the cast answers questions about roleplaying.
Drawing MapsAustin Walker's show where he discusses preparations for games as a GM.

Reception

The podcast had more than 3,929 Patreon supporters .[13] The show was featured on iTunes in 2020.[14] Dan Neilan wrote in The A.V. Club that it is an "intimidating podcast to jump into" and a "bit overwhelming", but despite this the story had "rich, complex lore."[15] It was cited by The Adventure Zone GM Griffin McElroy as an inspiration for elements of that podcast's first campaign.[16]

Awards

AwardDateCategoryRecipientResultRef.
Discover Pods Awards2019Best Overall PodcastFriends at the Table[17]
Audio Verse AwardsInstrumental Composition in a Production"Spring In Hieron" by Jack de Quidt[18]
Vocal Composition in a Production"Tell Me" by Jack de Quidt
Player Direction of a ProductionAustin Walker
Player in an Improvised ProductionAli Acampora as Hella Varal
Improvised ProductionFriends at the Table
2020Instrumental Composition in a Production"RADIOSTATIC. HIATUS. REDSKY" by Jack de Quidt[19]
"TANAGER. PERFECT. TOUCHPAPER." by Jack de Quidt
Player Direction of a ProductionAustin Walker
Cover Art for a ProductionCraig Sheldon
Improvised ProductionFriends at the Table

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Parker . Felan . June 29, 2016 . Vossen . Emma . The Power of Imagined Worlds: An Interview With Austin Walker . live . October 6, 2022 . First Person Scholar . en-US . 5814711976 . October 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221007164656/http://www.firstpersonscholar.com/the-power-of-imagined-worlds/ .
  2. Web site: Stevens . Ryan . March 31, 2021 . How Friends at the Table Spreads Around Authorship . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220909181215/https://discoverpods.com/how-friends-at-the-table-spreads-around-authorship/ . September 9, 2022 . September 9, 2022 . Discover Pods . Elite CafeMedia . en-US.
  3. News: Modak . Sebastian . July 24, 2020 . Amid a Pandemic and a Racial Reckoning, 'D&D' Finds Itself at an Inflection Point . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200730213415/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/07/24/amid-pandemic-racial-reckoning-dd-finds-itself-an-inflection-point/ . July 30, 2020 . October 5, 2022 . . . en-US . 0190-8286 . 2269358.
  4. Web site: Figa . Alenka . October 25, 2018 . Brinks . Melissa . Games for Your Ears: Our Favorite Tabletop Podcasts and Let's Plays . live . October 6, 2022 . Sidequest . en-US . January 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220117073533/https://sidequest.zone/2018/10/25/games-for-your-ears-our-favorite-tabletop-podcasts-and-lets-plays/ .
  5. Web site: March 24, 2017 . Winter in Hieron 16: Is There Anyone Else? . 2024-07-26 . Friends at the Table . en.
  6. Web site: Jackson . Gita . August 13, 2016 . How Tabletop Games Make My Life Better . October 6, 2022 . . . en-US.
  7. Web site: Wescott . Adam . September 30, 2020 . Interview: The Best Mecha Anime of 2020 is a Podcast—They Could Have Made Them Look Like Anything, but They Made Them Look Like Podcasts . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220911133323/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2020/09/30-1/interview-the-best-mecha-anime-of-2020-is-a-podcast . September 11, 2022 . October 5, 2022 . . . en-US.
  8. Web site: St. James . Emily . 2020-04-03 . Beyond Dungeons & Dragons: A guide to the vast, exciting world of tabletop RPGs . 2022-10-25 . . en.
  9. Web site: White . Jordan . 2018-01-31 . 'The Adventure Zone' Is a Dungeons & Dragons RPG Podcast That Breaks All the Rules . 2022-10-25 . . en.
  10. Web site: Walker . Austin . January 1, 2017 . Winter in Hieron: Holiday Special 01: Homes and Promises . live . September 9, 2022 . Friends at the Table . en-US . October 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221007164656/https://friendsatthetable.net/winter-in-hieron-holiday-special-01-homes-and-promises .
  11. Web site: Walker . Austin . August 10, 2018 . Twilight Mirage 64: Futura Free Part 1 . live . September 9, 2022 . Friends at the Table . en-US . September 9, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220909171951/https://friendsatthetable.net/twilight-mirage-64-futura-free-pt-1-0 .
  12. Web site: Walker . Austin . May 3, 2024 . PALISADE 46: A Palette of Colors Pt. 1 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240523172643/https://friendsatthetable.net/palisade-46-a-palette-of-colors-pt-1 . May 23, 2024 . June 6, 2024 . Friends at the Table . For the finale, we are playing Questlandia 2nd Edition. This season we played Armour Astir: Advent with additional playbooks from Strangers in the Night and 106th Astir Squadron..
  13. Web site: Carter . Chase . July 20, 2021 . Honey Heist and the Legacy of the One-Page RPG: An Interview With Tabletop Designer Grant Howitt . live . October 5, 2022 . . . en-US . June 8, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220608204343/https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/22585254/honey-heist-grant-howitt-one-page-rpg .
  14. Web site: Abigail . September 3, 2020 . 16 Best D&D Podcasts to Listen to With Friends . live . October 5, 2022 . Robots.net . en-US . July 9, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182434/https://robots.net/gaming/best-dd-podcasts-to-listen-to-with-friends/ .
  15. Web site: Neilan . Dan . October 22, 2018 . Horny 4 Horror Applauds the Practical Effects of the Stuff and Other '80s Cult Hits . live . October 5, 2022 . . . en-US . June 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220613104041/https://www.avclub.com/horny-4-horror-applauds-the-practical-effects-of-the-st-1829863286 .
  16. Web site: 2017-03-30 . TRANSCRIPT The The Adventure Zone Zone - MaxFunDrive 2017 . 2024-07-26 . Maximum Fun . en-US.
  17. Web site: Goldberg . Kevin . November 21, 2019 . Announcing the Winners of the 2019 Discover Pods Awards . live . October 5, 2022 . Discover Pods Awards . Elite CafeMedia . en-US . November 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211121053814/https://awards.discoverpods.com/announcing-the-winners-of-the-2019-discover-pods-awards/ .
  18. Web site: 2019 . Congratulations to This Year's Winners: These Are the Winners of the 2019 Audio Verse Awards. . live . October 5, 2022 . The Audio Verse Awards . en-US . August 18, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210818104055/https://audioverseawards.net/2019-winners/ .
  19. Web site: 2020 . This is the List of Finalists for the 2020 Audio Verse Awards. . live . October 5, 2022 . The Audio Verse Awards . en-US . February 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220214004744/https://audioverseawards.net/2020-list-of-finalists/ .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Friends at the Table".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.