The actual play (AP) video and podcasting phenomenon is one that I don’t understand. I’ve listened to a few AP podcasts when they first started to exist five or six years ago. It was OK. It was something to listen to during the mindless parts of my workday. My thoughts about it then are the same as my thoughts about it now: I’m not the audience for AP videos. Every now and again I watch or listen for as long as I can but I never get very far. Watching or listening to other groups play games have been not that interesting.

It’s possible, I just haven’t found the podcast or video that would be interesting to me. I have found that I pick up a few game mastering techniques or ways other people to interpret a certain rule. A typical AP stream is something like 3 or 4 hours long. I compare it to the other content I could be listening too and I just don’t see much value in it and it’s not that entertaining, for me.

Clearly, there is an audience for this material. WoTC claims that at least half of the current 5E players became interested in D&D by watching a AP show. That blows me away since there are more players than ever before.

I’m going to poke around and see if I can find one of the AP’s that is interesting and report back here about it. My daughter has been listening to a Pathfinder AP and really enjoys it. She likes it enough that she started reading a copy of the core rules I had collecting dust on the shelf. Her interest has caused me to consider doing my own attempt at an AP. Before I do that, I need to figure out a few questions.

1. Who’s it for?
2. What’s it for?
3. What changes if someone watches it?
4. Will they share it with their friends?

We will see. It’s an idea bumping around in my head. I don’t like creating content that someone isn’t going to get some value from. My goal with this blog is to offer ideas that translate to a more enjoyable experience for you and your friends with you play tabletop games together. Is there some way an AP series can provide that?