Best Actual Play Podcasts for Beginners
There are hundreds of actual plays. Where do you start?
New to actual plays and not sure where to start? The tricky part is that actual play shows can be wildly different from each other. Some feel like hanging out at a funny home game, some are polished like TV, some are huge fantasy epics, and some are short enough to try without making a lifestyle commitment. This beginner list focuses on shows with a clear hook, an easy first step, and enough personality to help you figure out what kind of actual play you actually like.
By Ted from APW
#1
Dimension 20: Fantasy High
Fantasy High is probably the cleanest Dimension 20 starting point. It has a dead-simple hook—high school fantasy adventurers—and it shows off the core appeal of Dimension 20 right away: big jokes, strong character choices, fast pacing, and a season that actually ends. It is also much less intimidating than telling someone to “watch Dimension 20,” which now means choosing from a whole library of seasons with very different tones. Start with Fantasy High: Freshman Year.
#2
Not Another D&D Podcast: Campaign 1
For NADDPOD, start with Campaign 1, usually referred to as the Bahumia campaign. It is the original setup with Brian Murphy DMing Emily Axford, Caldwell Tanner, and Jake Hurwitz, and it gives you the show in its most natural form: funny, chaotic, surprisingly heartfelt D&D adventure with a small enough cast to learn quickly. This is a better beginner recommendation than pointing someone at the whole feed, because later campaigns and side arcs make more sense once you know the table.
#3
The Adventure Zone: Balance
For The Adventure Zone, start with Balance. More specifically, start at the beginning with “Here There Be Gerblins.” This was one of the first actual plays I ever listened to, and I still remember how it opens, vividly. There's a little bit of lightning in a bottle, here. It begins loose and goofy, then gradually becomes the big emotional fantasy-comedy arc that made the show a gateway actual play for a lot of listeners. It is not the choice for learning D&D rules accurately. It is the choice for understanding how an actual play can become a beloved story podcast.
#4
Dungeons and Daddies: Season 1
For Dungeons and Daddies, start with Season 1. The premise is immediate: four suburban dads are thrown into a fantasy world and have to rescue their sons. That makes it one of the lowest-friction actual plays for a totally new listener, because you do not need lore, system knowledge, or prior network familiarity. It is loose with D&D, but very clear about what kind of fun it is trying to deliver.
#5
Tales from the Stinky Dragon: Infinight
For Tales from the Stinky Dragon, start with Campaign 1, Infinight. It introduces the show’s core fantasy-comedy style, the tavern-frame storytelling, and the polished audio approach without requiring any prior context. This is a good starter for people who want actual play to feel smooth, produced, and easy to listen to rather than like an unedited game recording.
#6
Critical Role: Campaign 2, The Mighty Nein
For Critical Role, I wouldn't necessarily send beginners to Campaign 1 by default. Start with Campaign 2, The Mighty Nein. It begins with a clean new party, better production than the earliest episodes, and no need to know the Vox Machina story first. It's still a bit of a commitment, but it is probably the best “real” Critical Role starting point for someone who wants the long-form epic version of actual play. That said, the original CR campaign was also one of my first, and I remember it fondly.
#7
Worlds Beyond Number: The Wizard, the Witch, and the Wild One
For Worlds Beyond Number, start with The Wizard, the Witch, and the Wild One. Ideally, start with the Children’s Adventure prelude if it is available to you; otherwise, begin with episode 1 of the main campaign. This is the pick for listeners who like fantasy novels, fiction podcasts, and rich character work more than tactical dungeon crawling. It feels more literary and atmospheric than most beginner recommendations.
#8
The Glass Cannon Podcast: Giantslayer
The Glass Cannon Podcast2 Fans
The Glass Cannon Networkfantasy, Pathfinder 1st Edition, Pathfinder 2nd Edition
GoodFor The Glass Cannon Podcast, start with the original Giantslayer campaign. It's Pathfinder 1e rather than D&D, but it is one of the best beginner picks for someone who wants actual play to still feel like a real game at a real table: dice matter, danger matters, and the players’ decisions truly shape an epic story. It's a published Paizo Adventure Path, but GM Troy Lavallee adds a _whole lot_ of layers to it. The audio gets better as it goes, but the table identity is there from the start.
#9
Tabletop Gold: Roots of Ruin
For Tabletop Gold, start with Roots of Ruin, their Pathfinder 2e playthrough of Abomination Vaults. This is the clean Pathfinder 2e beginner pick: a clear megadungeon premise, a table that explains enough rules to follow along, and a campaign that shows why PF2e appeals to people who like tactical fantasy gaming. It is especially useful for listeners who want to understand the game, not just the story.
#10
Bookshops of Arkham
For Call of Cthulhu, start with Bookshops of Arkham. It is short, official, polished, and self-contained, which makes it much easier for a beginner than jumping into a giant horror campaign like Masks of Nyarlathotep. It also helps demonstrate that actual plays are not _all_ fantasy adventure shows. If you want investigation, occult weirdness, and a limited commitment, this is a strong first stop.
