Reviews For Fear the Boot, RPG Podcast

This is still the podcast I listen to since like forever ago! Such a great show listening to the topics they cover, and if you hit up the back log you can also see how their gaming experiences grow and change as new games are introduced into the game-o-sphere!

Fear the Boot is a gem. A great cast of friends who are knowledgeable and, most important, passionate about the game. Great content, lots of useful information and lots of fun to hear. Most intereting, tunning away from the usual almost exclusive D&D focus. Although against the will of the creators themselves i totally recomend to listen to all episodes, fromnthe very first one to the most recent (I'm still working on it). It gives a really good perspective of how they develop as casters, and some booters as players and GMs. One of those shows whose content does not get dated. Information on the earliest ones is still as relevant and useful as it was at the release time (well...). If you love RPGs, this will give you tons of fun. If you know nothing about it, but is curious, great place to start Go for it!

I've listened to Fear the Boot for quite a while, ever since they did a series of episodes on designing a RPG. It has consistently been enjoyable to listen to with top quality audio. It spoiled me on audio quality and definitely raised the bar. I look forward to listening to the guys for another 12 years! ~FtBeast

Always good discussions on being a decent runner of games by whatever name and a being player the GM might not drop a rock on. Constantly funny but also willing and able to take on more serious topics. Highly recommended.

This podcast is everything you want in an RPG podcast and more. Why aren’t you listening? Advice, personality, ideas, and conventions! Join the fray!

A few years ago, I got into the business of putting together podcasts, figured I should find one I enjoyed listening to, scoured the Internet, and found this amazing community. Everything I needed: genre-neutral (or rather, genre-agnostic), focused less on “roll playing” than the finer aspects of the craft (like story and character), and rife with tools to encounter some of the intangible social challenges we all face as gamers at one point or another. The best part is they put a lot of effort into sound quality, so you won’t get your ears burnt out listening to Skype calls and laptop mics. In fact, I even recommend their “bonus episode two” to fledgling and hopeful podcasters, because the information is so good and saves me so much explaining as an audio professional. So start with the current episodes, and dip into the back catalog when you’ve got some time. They’ve been going for over thirteen years, so don’t think you’ll get to them all anytime soon. Early episodes, like the group template episode (the “session zero” concept before “session zero” was so much of a thing) I hear may get re-vamped soon with the current host lineup. Fear the Boot is not just a podcast. It’s a philosophy as well as a community. If your taste in a gaming experience is similar to mine, you’ll find yourself among kindred spirits. I only get to spend time with them about once/year or so, and I hope to be seeing them for many, many years to come.

A great podcast for DMs of all skill levels. I’ve been running games for over thirty years and this group has outstanding all-around advice.

I’m a super casual rpg player. This pod gives me be insight and takes on gaming I’ve never considered. Consistently quality and worth listening to every week.

Great job everyone. Great group of people.

But they should play more Savage Worlds

Plenty of content providers in the tabletop RPG scene sit around and pontificate about world building, storytelling, combat, rules, editions, and complaints about “bad” GMing or playing. These guys do all that AND entertain the audience with junior high locker room antics. I f#<*^~ LOVE these guys!!! Seriously, these are a group of men and women for whom RPG fun is Rule #1. RPG players, rightly, demand a good time from their gaming experience. That’s the ongoing theme for this podcast, leading to loads of actionable information in every episode. I recommend it for any RPG game master, judge, dungeon master, or what have you, who seriously intends to run a mutually-satisfying RPG for themselves and their players.

Dean and the guys are great! I've been listening to the show for years. The various hosts fluctuate every so often, but the talk is always casual and about topics of interest to both referees and players of role-playing games.

Fear the Boot was the first RPG podcast I listened to, and hosted the first gaming convention I ever attended. This show is responsible for my reconnecting with the hobby as an adult, and showed me the first inklings of what an RPG could really be. Now I'm so deeply entrenched in games I can't imagine my life without them. I've always been deeply enthralled by the hobby, but the scarcity of local players made that fascination a lonely thing. This show was my first affirmation that other people cared about RPGs - enough to make a podcast about it, with decent equipment and sound mixing, even! Anyone looking for another perspective on what games can do, or even just some fun table stories, should give this show a listen

Great editing lead to great shows, these gamers let us in on years of experience and knowledge that we can use to run and play our games with a little more flow and smoothness. Also worth tuning in to hear what weird stuff brodeur is going to bring up.

I am very turned off by the lax use of swear words of all types. I've only listened to a couple of sessions, and will give them another listen or two... but for now, not recommended despite the amount of insight they provided.

This podcast is well-thought out and consistently awesome. I can't tell you how many times I've had to laugh out loud listening to this crew! You can tell it's a close-knot group of friends which adds to the authenticity of the show. My only regret is finding this just a few months ago. How will I ever be able to listen to all those back episodes I desperately want to hear?!

Most of the podcasts that make it into my feed are actual play RPG recordings. This is one of the few discussion podcasts that makes the cut, and it does that for several reasons. First and foremost, Dan and company are just entertaining to listen to, because they're clearly having a lot of fun sitting around shooting the bull. Also, since they're active gamers, the discussions they're having can be grounded in real things happening around the gaming table. While you may not agree with everything they have to say about a particular gaming topic, you can at least be assured that there's been some thought put into the topic, and that you'll get the reasoning behind the opinions. Also, irreverent humor. There's a lot of that. And it's awesome.

This show has been around the RPG podcast world for a while now. Its a solid, entertaining show. Sometimes the topics can be hit or miss, and the show can get a bit off topic. It's double edged sword, because part of that lack of focus is the number of on air contributors, but part of what makes the show entertaining is that same interaction.

As of 2016, Fear the Boot is likely the oldest RPG podcast and still among of the best. The multi person panel of veteran gamers still provides a good discussion of many RPG topics. In particularlly, the two unofficially main hosts, Dan and Chad, prefer games from the opposite side of the RPG spectrum providing the listener with more complete discussions while letting listeners choose their own solutions. While they give frank opions on games they like and hate, the are always encouraging of building the RPG community and having the listeners make their own choices for RPG fun.

I have been a listener of Fear the Boot off and on since 2009. I don't usually leave reviews for podcasts, but Dan's treatment of the topic of suicide moved me. This is a fantastic podcast. My cousin committed suicide (obviously no DnD connection). But I really appreciated the care that you all took with the topic even when you didn't have to. Thank you so much.

I only started listening to FTB a month ago and I have already burned through to episode 110. That's extreme dedication (3 hours per day approx) because I am a keen DM and always want to improve my game. So why the lukewarm review. Well the first 80-90 episodes were mostly excellent, but a trend started emerging of the topics becoming less and less distinct, focused and useful as we reach the 100 mark. The other thing that is really irritiating is the blinkerdness to anything other than Battletech. C'mon guys it's a niche of a niche of a niche, there are so many other games out there that we could be enlightned by. You are in some ways viewed as the paragons of RPG podcasting and there are many reasons why this is justified, you are insightful, deep thinking, articulate and you know how to pronounce attribute. So please spread your vision wider, it can't be so much of a drag to play some other games, and for Jebus sake you need to have a view on 5e as it's the biggest bloody thing to happen to gaming in decades - I listened to a few podcasts from the 300's after it had been released and it seems that just one of you has played it at that point. As the standard bearers of our hobby (whether self appointed or not) you should have a much deeper dig into it. Hell, even RFI have started playing it and they are even more Grognardian than you are.

The FtB guys do a lot of things very well, but one of the best compliments I can pay them is that it sounds like my group of friends sitting around microphones and discussing roleplaying topics far and wide. Many games, many genres and topics - after 10 years, they are still going strong!

Great podcast strangely changed to a bit more casual in recent years but I still love it. Love the Battletech talk especially !

This is a tough one . I really enjoy fear the boot even though they spend a fair amount of time on battle tech, a game I have never played. Yet in spite of this I am always pleased with the episodes and topics discussed and leave with more insight on running better games while laughing along with the hosts. Thanks for everything!

Generally knowledgeable but after about 20 episodes, I just couldn't take how pretentious the main host is, which often lead to off-topic rants that just weren't enjoyable. I could have also done without the sophmoric sexual references that have become too common as of late. There are better podcasts out there.

I love FTB and you should too. They have some great conversations about tabletop games and gaming culture. Definitely worth subscribing. One note though; if you initially arrived here, as I did, thinking that this was a podcast focused on the sad ramifications of, and treatment options for, extreme podophobia, than you may be a bit lost. Lucky for us they don’t discuss toes and such very often though so it’s pretty trigger friendly.

This is one of the best Roleplaying podcasts that talks more about ROLEplaying than ROLLplaying. Even if you listen to a lot of other podcasts about game systems and new products, there’s room in your life for Fear the Boot!

I've found value in much of their how-to material and suggestions. It's unfortunate that this is buried in tangents, personal stories, unexplained criticism, and desperate backpedaling whenever that criticism is questioned. It was amusing the first time a host made an offhand comment about how he didn't enjoy Shadowrun and then spent 20 minutes on the next episode saying he had nothing against people who did. Every other such subject since then has been an aggravation.

This is a well produced podcast. Not only is the sound quality top notch, but the hosts conduct themselves in a professional manner. This is not to say that they are stiff and boring! I have listened to a lot of rpg podcasts and what always bothers me is how lackluster production makes so many a chore to listen to. Not the case with fear the boot. Even though FTB goes on about star trek and battle tech (which i could care less about) I still find the subjects discussed applicable to my Labyrinth Lord campaign. It is entertaining regardless! For these reasons I consider FTB to be the best all around rpg podcast out there.

The audio quality is fantastic, the content is useful, and the length is perfect. Also, the hosts steer clear of controversial topics, which is definitely a plus (I turn to games for a break from all the political issues, so when a gaming podcast goes dramatic -- looking at you, Dungeons & Randomness -- I avoid it like the plague). Keep up the great work, guys.

Great podcast for people like me who spends most of their time with people who don't understand our culture.

Fear the Boot sets the standard when it comes to tabletop gaming podcasts. I really enjoy the blend of friendly banter and considered advice for roleplayers. The hosts have a unique and balanced chemistry, which makes up for their inattention to the more progressive and cutting edge hobby games. My only complaint is that, with over 350 episodes to their credit, there is a certain amount of content rehashing. However, this strikes me as unavoidable when you reach that number of episodes. Finally, FtB has permanently spoiled me on what a podcast should sound like. Dan & Co. do an outstanding job of editing and balancing so that I never have to yank out my earbuds in frustration. All other podcasts: take note!

FtB is one of the podcasts I anxiously watch for each release. As a novice gamer I find them informative and funny. Keep up the good work booters.

Dan & crew do a fantastic job of discussing troublesome gaming topics and mostly staying on topic! A good diversity of opinion and tastes. I enjoy the episodes where the women pitch in. It's a nice change of pace to the usual all men, bro-fests that dominate gaming.

One of the best rpg podcast out there. Ive learn so much from these guys and been open to new ideas. Worth the download.

This podcast is really well done. I'm a little disappointed that the crew, whom posts at a similar website that I go to, only just let it be known about this podcast or I would have been listening to it ages ago. Well done, informative, funny.

Great content and humor!

I loved my tabletop gaming college days. Now, married, kid, job, and no local group. But I listen to FTB every week. It's my fix. Maybe someday I'll have a group again, but for now I have FTB.

FTB is the authority on table top RPGs, plain and simple. The advice given about GMing over the years has been particularly helpful for me. In terms of production value, this show is now a well-oiled machine. Awesome.

This podcast has a lot of good, fairly in-depth discussions of the many aspects of role-playing. They are great for ideas when you're thinking of something to add to your game. For instance, you want your high-level characters interacting more with the local economy? Just search for the FTB podcast about economies. Keep up the good work!

They’ve been around for a long time and have inspired countless game ideas. With the evolution of the roster of hosts throughout the years, they could literally start over from episode 1, re-discuss the topics, and have entirely different conversations. All of which, I’msure, would be stimulating, informative, and enlightening. A must listen for RPG gamers! -Dan (IF you are a podcaster, AND, you ask for ratings and reviews, PLEASE support the community, and rate and review the podcasts that you listen to! –Dan@ CarpeGM.net)

Long time listener You guys have kept me warm on many lonely nights.

I've been looking for RPG podcasts since I recently got back into tabletop roleplaying. So many of the podcasts I found were boring. NOT THIS ONE! Fear the Boot is awesome. Great insight into interesting RPG topics, humor, and general geekery. My inner nerd is happy when I listen to this.

One of the first podcast I listen to when it is new. It comes out weekly with a variety of host and topics.

I like the broad range of topics covered, and the way they have universal discussions that transcend specific game systems. Even if they spoiled DS9 for me. ;)

One of the best podcasts period. I have been listening since the podcast launched in 2006, it has never dissapointed. Great hosts, excellent sound quality, interesting interviews, and clever commentary. If you play rpg's you should at least try this podcast.

My one complaint is that the audio isn't as good as it could be. Keep is up. Great podcast overall.

Full of irreverent humor and an interesting array of personalities among the hosts, FTB discusses a variety of topics every episode. There are varying opinions and viewpoints amongst Dan and the crew, and they usually copy each main discussion topic with enough information to get you started on working up a new campaign world, character concept, or how to handle situations that come up commonly in RPGs.

I've been listening since episode 170. I have used a lot of their tips in my dnd games. All that i have tried have worked excellently.