How to start a D&D podcast (actual play)

Actual play podcasts range from lightly edited real sessions to heavily produced audio dramas with music and effects. Decide early, because it changes how much work each episode takes.

Lightly edited shows feel authentic and are faster to make. Produced shows are more polished but can take ten hours or more per episode. Most new shows should start light and add production as they learn.

A great home game is not always a great podcast. Look for players who describe what their character does, stay in character, and leave space for each other. Four to five players including the game master is a good size. More than that and listeners lose track of voices.

Introduce each character clearly in the first episode and use names often. Listeners cannot see your table.

With five or six people talking, crosstalk is constant. Recording each person on a separate track lets you level quiet players, remove one person's dice rattle or keyboard, and fix moments where everyone speaks at once.

If you play in person, use one microphone per person if possible. If you play online, a browser recorder that captures separate tracks is far better than recording a single Discord mix. Ask everyone to wear headphones.

A four-hour session is not a four-hour episode. Cut rules lookups, snack breaks, long shopping trips and off-topic chat. Keep the jokes, the drama and the dice rolls that matter.

Editing by transcript is a big time saver here: read the session, find the twenty minutes spent arguing about grappling rules, and delete them. Aim for episodes of 45 to 90 minutes, splitting long sessions in two.

Many tabletop publishers have policies or licences for actual play and community content, and they differ between games and editions. Read the current policy for the system you play, credit the publisher, and avoid reading large chunks of rulebook text or published adventure text on air.

Use licensed or royalty-free music and sound effects, not film soundtracks.

Actual play audiences are loyal once hooked, so make episode one count: a strong opening scene rather than character creation. Share character art, recaps and clips, and build a community where listeners can discuss theories.