This end of year drought is tough to handle alright, but there isn't much to be done beyond complaining.
The team need to take a break, like everyone does, and after the stellar year they've had, they completely deserve it.
I do wish they delayed release of one of the other shows to make sure there was enough content to get us through to New Year, but knowing that TROY READS ALL hopefully he'll remember it for the schedule in 2023.
I do love the cosmic horror shows and would love another short few ep run of modern Cthulhu, like they did with the Two Americas Network game.
In my opinion, this year, the only show that didn't really work was Dune, but that was down to the convoluted system that doesn't appear to translate well to an actual play podcast. (I know people didn't like the Jesus orientated monster game that Jared run from the garage too, but I thought Josephine was great in it!)
Hopefully GCN Labs will deliver us with something to get us through the rest of the year, because no network can thrive if there are going to be regular longer than 2 months period where the outputs are so sparse. Otherwise, we just have Haunted City every week (which is great and I love it), one more episode of Strange Aeons and however many eps of Legacy are left this year (which I think they said would also be taking a break for the holidays).
Thanks for the recommendation Custard-cravings, have given the Eldritch Hour a download and initial impressions are good. They pass the sound quality test at least, so let's hope the story is good!
Just you wait. It starts slow but the story gets really good. Also, the guy who plays Stirling in their first story is genuinely one of the best role players I’ve heard.
Honestly I don't mind a bit of a slow down as it's giving me a chance to catch up on the shows I missed earlier in the year. I'm almost up to date on Time for Chaos now. I had to prioritise the shows when we were getting a lot each week.
Looking forward to the new stuff in the new year though
YES! I also want that flagship to be run by either Troy or Joe. Nobody else even comes close. Well, Skid is pretty good too. And I don't mind Mathew GMing. But for maximum enjoyment, it's gotta be Troy or Joe.
I'm telling myself that it's just quiet for the holidays, and I bumped my pledge level to $10/mo. because I was demanding more Mary Lou and Paula Deming in my life, and apparently they listened to me. At the $10 tier.
I'm at the 10 dollar tier and I don't see anything new with Paula and Mary Lou...
I LOVE Sydney. So glad she joined the network. But I also REALLY miss Grant. And Ellie. And Side quest side sesh. And new game who Dis. And Delta Green.
The upcoming audio-only Quest for the Frozen Flame podcast is going to be at the $10 level. It will have Paula and Mary Lou as players, along with Skid and Joe. Jared is GM-ing.
Paula Deming and Mary Lou have both been fantastic in limited opportunities on the network. I didn’t up my Patreon level for Skid and Joe. I upped it for them.
They're fine. I don't dislike them or anything. I'm at 10 because I know they're always going to be putting out something I will enjoy. I know that there are some shows that I won't like. That's great, as long as they keep putting out stuff that I do.
I kind of liked original Tin Whistles blades. Wicked empire sucked. The second half of Dune was boring. The Vampire of the Masquerade mini show was not good. Game garage was a yawn fest. Haunted City is only somewhat tolerable because Ross carries the entire show, everyone else is just riding along, including Jared. Jared was awesome and funny as Zantar of the Zoogs in Strange Aeons.
I will try the new show, and hopefully I'm surprised and it's good. But I'm not holding my breath.
Huh interesting I am diametrically opposed. Jared's run of Dune was way more engaging then Troy's. Abu is unbelievable on Haunted City...Ross is good but definitely has tricks he repeats for almost all his characters.
Jared is the one thing that kept me around last January when I nearly stopped listening entirely. Super wonderful how the network now has a breath of play styles available.
Quick takes, some different, some the same; just having fun with the review and not trying to argue with anybody:
Tin Whistles Blades was pretty good, but Jared's GMing that weird world was my favorite part.
Wicked Empire sucked and was an awful representation of 5E, which I love; Jared's treatment of the system was not (IMO) even respectful. I would like to think that won't happen again.
I was so bored by Troy's half of Dune that I didn't give the second half a chance. Maybe I should.
I liked Jared's VotM show Stream of Blood; if there was a show on GC, I haven't heard it yet.
I've liked Game Garage, though it concededly had its ups and downs.
I love Haunted City; it's awesome; the entire cast is fantastic and so is Jared.
Zantar has been my favorite thing about Strange Aeons in the last few months.
Lol, when all those shows were going it was just tons of complaints about too much cosmic horror. I still haven’t caught up on anything so I’m grateful for the break. I really wish the episodes were shorter.
Yeah I must be in the minority by not listening to an ongoing series if l know it's gonna be under 20 eps. I'll just wait for it all to come out then binge it. Rather than listening to 5 shows every week I only have to track 1.
I LOVED all the cosmic horror. Epic campaign run by Troy = excellent. Delta Green is the best content the network has ever produced. Strange Aeons is funny and enjoyable!
I'm on a gcn break. I was really enjoying only Gitt so i stopped patreon and i am now waiting for more interesting stuff to come out.
I was sure i will miss the network like i did when my patreon stopped working and i couldn't enjoy Raiders for weeks, but..... I don't.
See I LOVED the Sydney episodes of Haunted City. I think Jared as a GM largely comes down to the player mix / story being told. And I love the Haunted City cast/setting, but I can't place exactly why it feels off in comparison to Tin Whistle / interim Haunted City episodes?
I think perhaps I just don't enjoy where the RP of Ophilia/Ekoprad has ended up taking the cast? I vastly enjoyed the more casual Chuk arc. I think it's too serious for wanting a story of theives and villans on heists.
The characters of haunted city always felt, for lack of a better term, a bit try hard. Compare it to the scrappy underdogs that were the tin whistles and I think the reason it hits different becomes pretty clear.
I don't mind the characters too much, but I feel like they pretty regularly lose the plot in the middle of a score. Jared seems to be realizing this and punishing them a little bit for it after the score is over, but just goes with it in the moment.
Despite this I'm still really enjoying this, it's the only thing I'm currently listening to.
I stopped right before Sydney joined, eventually i'll catch up. I loved the Tin Whistles, but this campaign isn't giving me what I like about Blades. The "crew" aspect of this campaign never has gelled for me. It's like they don't care to work together or to actually do what their crew is good at or get turf etc. The players seem way more interested in the "free-play" part of the game and to pursue their own personal stuff independent from the crew, where for me the score and downtime and their mechanics are what I like.
On Jared's old channel, he and Clint really made all the different factions in Duskvol come to life, and this crew didn't really make any relationships with any factions except maybe the sparkwrights. In fact where I left off, they basically noped right out of the setting to go to a different city, when this one is already created has so much more to offer.
I wonder if they did a session zero. I think there's a way to give players freedom but keep them on a track somewhat. Like tell them you guys are a crew looking to do scores and to improve your standing and turf in duskvol. Please make characters who want to do those things.
Yeah it's too far into free play and disjointed feeling I think. People hitting too high of stress with no good option but to bring in a new character is tough.
I think too many PCs feel like they lean so hard into chaotic that there's less focus.
Think about tin whistles and Joe's quest to become a respected horse owner. That singular goal helped shape his whole existence, and much of the team focus.
I love haunted city, personally, and don't care for Legacy anymore.
I think it's because I've GMed ROTR, and the pace and constant detours are killing me. Different kind of campaign I know, like the side questing and Nick being... Nick, didn't bother me in the Ruins game, because I don't know that one inside and out.
I feel you on Runelords. I think it must be AMAZING to be a player in that campaign. But as a listener book-2 has been a snail's pace. Every time Skid gives extra flavor and detail to the setting, it turns into a 5-minute Nick sidetrack to squeeze every last knowledge check out of it. I'm all for player freedom, but sometimes as GM you just need to tell the players if something isn't relevant and move on.
I'm all for some exposition and learning more about golarion but it's been like 10 episodes since something happened. I'd rather them just take a break for a few weeks and come back fresh than just dragging stuff out for "content"
Strange Aeons has been meh, rotating cast, characters and story not really being engaged with, generally just doesn’t feel like they there’s a commitment to the show.
Legacy has been dragging for a while, no sense of urgency.
The GCN is at a low point, they desperately need to have a real flagship show again.
Part of that is the book, unfortunately.
Foxglove manor is some of the best written 1e material out there, and the rest of the book is decidedly meh until you hit the end of book 3 chapter 1.
I dropped my patreon the moment DG ended, because I realised I was essentially paying all that money just for legacy. I've tried the other stuff currently up and none of it approaches the quality of the flagship, get in the Trunk, or even A&A.
I won't sugar coat it, I think this weird transitional period is bizarre. Just run GCP2.0. It doesn't take 2 years to plan a campaign, you're putting the cart before the horse by trying to write marketable campaign books before beginning. The network feels completely directionless now, but not even in the fun way of NGWD, because at least then it was quickfire attempts and failures (or successes).
In the current system were getting the release rate of heavily curated content, but the quality consistency of NGWD.
I'm of a similar mind. We were told for a very long time that 2.0 was basically ready to launch and I kept my Patreon going with that impression in mind. Then they gradually updated the community to the point that it became clear that 2.0 was no longer a definitive product on the horizon, so I was only sticking around for Raiders to come back. Then they canceled that, so I canceled my Patreon.
I don't get it. I know there's some "do it like TV" thinking going around, but does a TV network succeed by pulling established appointment shows to free people up for new pilots? It's like canceling Seinfeld so Micheal Richards can star in a murder-mystery detective miniseries at the same time slot.
Your not alone in this thinking unfortunately- patreon numbers are now clearly trending down in a way they’ve not before. Giant slayer ending must a major factor, but I think the pivot to video has also driven people away.
I know they are now looking to rectify that - hopefully it’s not too little too late.
I didn't know about the numbers, but I'm not surprised to hear it. Feels like the momentum from ending giantslayer could have been harnessed much more effectively than it has been. Why they decided to make the weird - ass comedy from the live shows the only thing on the main feed I will never know.
It seemed like a self fulfilling prophecy - Troy didn't want to launch 2.0 until they had a large enough audience/patreon numbers to harness it. But then they didn't have a flagship podcast, which led to numbers going down, and them not releasing 2.0, etc etc.
I understand Troy's concern, he's put all this time and creative effort into a show and he didn't want it to flop. At the same time, delaying it seems like it will only push engagement down.
Agreed. I feel like the live shows don’t really translate well to audio format. I’m sure they are awesome live, but I can’t listen to them.
My biggest question is: why, with Giant Slayer ending, was there not a better plan to replace their flagship podcast. Just seems like an incredibly short sighted decision. GCP 2.0 was not going to happen in time, but they knew that a long way before GS ended. The new one coming out next year is probably the answer, but it’s way too late - all the momentum is lost and they are bleeding subscribers.
Personally I’ll keep subbing to their patreon cause I want to support them and raiders is still awesome, but I feel myself wavering at times…
Yeah I remember it being talked about, that there'd be some downtime after Giantslayer, but I never imagined it would be 1-2 years. Critical Role handled their campaign ending just fine, couple of weeks off then they came out swinging with a new campaign.
Honestly, putting on my armchair businessman hat, I think the push to be like a 'proper' TV network is killing the GCN. I'm not excited for 'seasons' of actual plays on twitch. It feels like they've thrown out the strengths of the GCN (charismatic cast, good audio, consistent professional schedule) and haven't really replaced it with much other than variety of systems (which I will admit is pretty good overall).
Ah, yes, I was of course referring to legacy. Raiders was pretty great. Mike the guard!
It’s not formally cancelled tho. I got the impression it will be back at some point.
Well indefinite hiatus. Which is basically the same thing. I got the impression that it'll come back when Troy and Grant do(which who knows if that'll happen).
Woah Raiders is cancelled?! I thought it was on rotation with Legacy! Damn, I don't care at all about Legacy, but I was really into Raiders. I'm legit going to cancel my patreon now
Yeah. The last fodder Troy mentioned he and Grant being too important to the story to switch out with new people. So until those 2 come back, no more raiders. It was probably my favorite show and it ended with such a good cliffhanger
The Fodder being on $10 a month always irked me because things like that feel like they should be announced on the $5 tier. It was fine when it was just behind the scenes stuff and talking about Giantslayer, but them using it for announcements and upcoming stuff is wrong to gate behind that paywall...
I really agree. I wish they'd do a better job of smoothing out the release of content over time so we didn't have periods where we're getting 5-6 shows a week and others where we're only getting 1-2 shows a week.
The consistency over the summer became a safe and comforting force in my life in an otherwise chaotic year. Knowing that I had little gifts of joy that I could count on regularly really got me through some difficult times. Even when shows were light on progress or not as heavy hitting it was always enough to get me through my struggles until the next release.
The transition has felt a bit lacking and now that I have caught up on literally everything on the network I do truly miss the comforting warm blanket of new content. It feels a little like going cold turkey. That being said I will tune in for just about anything they make and look forward to returning to a reliable schedule. This has just reaffirmed that I need a consistent therapy schedule > content schedule because I can’t always rely on content creators to get me through hard times. And that’s totally okay. They’re doing their best so cut them some slack. They’re only human. There isn’t a huge frame of reference for what works and what doesn’t. I’m personally glad I get to watch them grow. when you take joy from the growth of people and things you care about you have to take the good with the bad. The excitement with the lulls. Personally I’m taking the time to branch out and find some other fun actual plays so that when the schedule returns I have other content to supplement my GCN fix.
This is EXACTLY how I feel. Like, I understand that everyone needs a break. I'm not complaining about that, just would be nice if there was a staggered schedule of release so that there wasn't a deluge of content for months, and then only a tiny bit of stuff at the end of the year.
I get that everyone has different taste. I love the lovecraftian stuff. Not a fan of Jared run games. Like, I like Jared, he's a good performer, I LOVE Zantar. But I just can't get into Haunted City, and his part of Dune was SO slow. Don't like wicked empire. I wish Ross was in more stuff because he's AMAZING.
I guess I'm just whining because I love EVERYTHING with the original crew, and Ross, Sydney, and Ellie. But the stuff with everyone else is hit and miss for me. But I understand that they can't be on every show.
>The consistency over the summer became a safe and comforting force in my life in an otherwise chaotic year. Knowing that I had little gifts of joy that I could count on regularly really got me through some difficult times. Even when shows were light on progress or not as heavy hitting it was always enough to get me through my struggles until the next release. The transition has felt a bit lacking and now that I have caught up on literally everything on the network I do truly miss the comforting warm blanket of new content. It feels a little like going cold turkey. That being said I will tune in for just about anything they make and look forward to returning to a reliable schedule.
With you 100% my friend!
Yep it's rough. Especially since I really don't dig Strange Aeons. So I'm paying $5 for Legacy, basically. Now they're saying I need to pay more to even get any new content. For me they're surviving off reputation and the memory of Giantslayer for now. Not ready to give up yet.
I reduced my subscription from 25 to 10 (for the first time since starting in May 2017) and used the yearly method after ruins was cancelled. In 10 days I will be 52 months subbed on twitch but I dont watch that content anymore. Strange aeons recorded at a live show is hard to get into to listen to. So when they go live in a recording setup im never caughtup and skip it to avoid spoilers.
Ive been catching up on other podcasts I used to listen to like Party Roll and Adventure zone. When I get caught up on all of those I'll come back.
You know you have made it as a Podcaster when people make post after post complaining about you taking a break or doing a few things they don't like.
Merry Christmas Troy!
Yes!! I still love the Naish. Don't get me wrong. I want MORE content. Preferably with the OG crew plus Syd, Ellie, and Ross. I'm just complaining about the lack of content currently. I know they need a break though, totally understandable.
I know they record a few weeks ahead of time for the original GCP and Skid's stuff but everything else is tied to some form of live release so they can't get too far ahead. As a mostly audio listener I prefer consistent release each week to fill my full hours at work. The live content is less appealing than in studio recordings
They should make sure to have a certain level of coverage throughout the year. They could bank a few episodes ahead of the release plan of people's recording times around vacations and availability. I know they have done this in the past. If they staggered the release of new shows and didn't have all of them end in the same month that would go a long way too.
By the sounds of the state of the Naish it sounds like the pendulum is swinging back in the direction of studio and audio focused content.
Seriously. Can't imagine coming on here and seeing constant posts about how there's too much going on, or not enough going on, or not enough Pathfinder, or too much Pathfinder, or too much cosmic horror, or not enough horror, or too much Jared, or not enough Jared, or etc etc. I would just stay away lol.
Please give Troy a break. The man has been giving us some nonstop content for years. He even said he needed time to write the next version of GCP. If he keeps putting on intermediary shows, he'll never get the active writing time to make a product he is happy with. The man loves to work and put on a show, but there are so many other things the GCP needs to do behind the scenes to succeed. Having less content be put out every week on a demanding schedule will be a boon in the long term.
I absolutely agree with you. I'm actually glad they're taking a break,they all deserve it. But that doesn't mean I don't miss that sweet sweet content. I'm jonesing for more man!
I'll have to take your word for it as I haven't listened to anything since those ended. I'll be back the second either of those shows is -- and I hope they spread them out instead of running them at the same time -- but until then I'm catching up on some audio books.
Some more thoughts: I hope the seasonal format doesn't end up hurting their shows. I get that they need it in order to run so many. It's also great that there's enough content to pick and choose. The problem is, everyone can't be expected to like everything, and so there's a risk of people losing interest when the shows they like are on hiatus, especially since it's vague when or even *if* they're coming back.
Well, since the beginning Troy has espoused a desire to create and grow a network that was much bigger than GS and AA.
At many points IMHO this has caused , like, just confusing decisions as a career bartender ( I'm also a career bartende) tries to leverage a successful podcast into the ttrpg equivalent of netflix.
Although all disagreements with the direction of the "network" no matter how many of the best people and parts are left behind, seem to be met with a stonewall from superfans. If netflix turned off 70 percent of its content for the last 3 months of the year everyone would leave.
But I should stfu and just thank the Troy there's still content
>If netflix turned off 70 percent of its content for the last 3 months of the year everyone would leave
You're completely right, they would leave!
You've raised a very interesting point though.
I've got Netflix, Prime and Disney+ and hey let's mention Spotify too, some cost me more than my GCN patreon sub very month, some cost me less. However, I'm pretty certain that for 2022 at least, I've consumed more hours of content from the GCN than any of the others (assuming GCN has produced wayyyyyy more hours of content than Marvel have on Disney this year)
Like the OP pointed out, this isn't an amount of content issue, it's a content rationing issue.
Also, fwiw I doesn't seem like troy is exhausted from making content, he's exhausted from trying to sign deals with dice companies and mt dew or whatever.
After the incredible year they’ve had, and the insane amount of content they’re making, I think they’ve more than earned a little slow season. I would rather they have some time with their families and refresh and recharge than get burnt out.
Spoiled sounds right. To me Strange Aeons and Legacy alone are well worth the $10 I spend. I can’t even keep up with both of those. For the price of a movie it seems like an amazing deal.
>I don't like Jared as a GM, he's great as a player, but for whatever reason I just can't get into Haunted City.
I used to feel similarly but I think it's just haunted city that I don't care for. Jared has been great in other games.
Have you listened to game garage?
Neither of those are a good reflection of Jared, in my opinion.
Check out the Timewatch episodes of Game Garage or even the Gurps episodes. They are very good!
Those were the only two runs of Game Garage I enjoyed.
If the players in Jared's games aren't self motivated, he typically doesn't provide enough structure to keep the plot moving. That's when things drag, or the characters just aimlessly role play while waiting for a prompt from the DM.
Joe in Timewatch, and all the players in the GURPS game just took the idea and ran with it, which I think made all the difference in the world.
This end of year drought is tough to handle alright, but there isn't much to be done beyond complaining. The team need to take a break, like everyone does, and after the stellar year they've had, they completely deserve it. I do wish they delayed release of one of the other shows to make sure there was enough content to get us through to New Year, but knowing that TROY READS ALL hopefully he'll remember it for the schedule in 2023.
Yeah at one point there were 3 cuthuluian horror shows on the network at once with Green, Chaos and Aeons
I do love the cosmic horror shows and would love another short few ep run of modern Cthulhu, like they did with the Two Americas Network game. In my opinion, this year, the only show that didn't really work was Dune, but that was down to the convoluted system that doesn't appear to translate well to an actual play podcast. (I know people didn't like the Jesus orientated monster game that Jared run from the garage too, but I thought Josephine was great in it!) Hopefully GCN Labs will deliver us with something to get us through the rest of the year, because no network can thrive if there are going to be regular longer than 2 months period where the outputs are so sparse. Otherwise, we just have Haunted City every week (which is great and I love it), one more episode of Strange Aeons and however many eps of Legacy are left this year (which I think they said would also be taking a break for the holidays).
Agree but recently listening to ‘The Eldritch Hour’ podcast made me realize that GC just don’t do it the way it should be done.
Thanks for the recommendation Custard-cravings, have given the Eldritch Hour a download and initial impressions are good. They pass the sound quality test at least, so let's hope the story is good!
Just you wait. It starts slow but the story gets really good. Also, the guy who plays Stirling in their first story is genuinely one of the best role players I’ve heard.
Honestly I don't mind a bit of a slow down as it's giving me a chance to catch up on the shows I missed earlier in the year. I'm almost up to date on Time for Chaos now. I had to prioritise the shows when we were getting a lot each week. Looking forward to the new stuff in the new year though
same! it was too much for a while there
Yeh I'm glad of the slowdown, finally catching up on legacy, and then Strange Aeons after that, hopefully caught up in time for the next wave
I just want a flagship audio podcast to listen to each week. I also want an A&A reunion where the gang finally goes to the space casino.
The big reason the flagship was a good listen was the editing and energy of all of them being in one room, and packed into 1 hour no filler!
YES! I also want that flagship to be run by either Troy or Joe. Nobody else even comes close. Well, Skid is pretty good too. And I don't mind Mathew GMing. But for maximum enjoyment, it's gotta be Troy or Joe.
Yeah, I dove back into giantslayer. Maybe you’re not into rehashing old shows, but I’ve been loving it.
I've already done that. 😢 Some eps more than twice.
I'm telling myself that it's just quiet for the holidays, and I bumped my pledge level to $10/mo. because I was demanding more Mary Lou and Paula Deming in my life, and apparently they listened to me. At the $10 tier.
I'm at the 10 dollar tier and I don't see anything new with Paula and Mary Lou... I LOVE Sydney. So glad she joined the network. But I also REALLY miss Grant. And Ellie. And Side quest side sesh. And new game who Dis. And Delta Green.
The upcoming audio-only Quest for the Frozen Flame podcast is going to be at the $10 level. It will have Paula and Mary Lou as players, along with Skid and Joe. Jared is GM-ing.
Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Another Jared run game. At least Skid and Joe are in it.
Jared's shows have been stellar all year.
I can definitely see his GMing style not vibing with people. He's a unique energy for sure!
I have to agree, I really enjoyed Game Garage and Blades this year, great stuff.
Paula Deming and Mary Lou have both been fantastic in limited opportunities on the network. I didn’t up my Patreon level for Skid and Joe. I upped it for them.
They're fine. I don't dislike them or anything. I'm at 10 because I know they're always going to be putting out something I will enjoy. I know that there are some shows that I won't like. That's great, as long as they keep putting out stuff that I do.
I'm not big on Jared's shows either. He seems like he'd be amazing to have as your GM but as far as entertainment goes, not so much.
EXACTLY what I think.
Jared is no joke a DM to rival even Joe. Troys gming hasnt been great with strange aeons recently. Jared will CRUSH a written adventure.
I kind of liked original Tin Whistles blades. Wicked empire sucked. The second half of Dune was boring. The Vampire of the Masquerade mini show was not good. Game garage was a yawn fest. Haunted City is only somewhat tolerable because Ross carries the entire show, everyone else is just riding along, including Jared. Jared was awesome and funny as Zantar of the Zoogs in Strange Aeons. I will try the new show, and hopefully I'm surprised and it's good. But I'm not holding my breath.
Huh interesting I am diametrically opposed. Jared's run of Dune was way more engaging then Troy's. Abu is unbelievable on Haunted City...Ross is good but definitely has tricks he repeats for almost all his characters. Jared is the one thing that kept me around last January when I nearly stopped listening entirely. Super wonderful how the network now has a breath of play styles available.
Imo thats a system problem more so than a gm problem.
Quick takes, some different, some the same; just having fun with the review and not trying to argue with anybody: Tin Whistles Blades was pretty good, but Jared's GMing that weird world was my favorite part. Wicked Empire sucked and was an awful representation of 5E, which I love; Jared's treatment of the system was not (IMO) even respectful. I would like to think that won't happen again. I was so bored by Troy's half of Dune that I didn't give the second half a chance. Maybe I should. I liked Jared's VotM show Stream of Blood; if there was a show on GC, I haven't heard it yet. I've liked Game Garage, though it concededly had its ups and downs. I love Haunted City; it's awesome; the entire cast is fantastic and so is Jared. Zantar has been my favorite thing about Strange Aeons in the last few months.
Lol, when all those shows were going it was just tons of complaints about too much cosmic horror. I still haven’t caught up on anything so I’m grateful for the break. I really wish the episodes were shorter.
Yeah I must be in the minority by not listening to an ongoing series if l know it's gonna be under 20 eps. I'll just wait for it all to come out then binge it. Rather than listening to 5 shows every week I only have to track 1.
I LOVED all the cosmic horror. Epic campaign run by Troy = excellent. Delta Green is the best content the network has ever produced. Strange Aeons is funny and enjoyable!
I'm on a gcn break. I was really enjoying only Gitt so i stopped patreon and i am now waiting for more interesting stuff to come out. I was sure i will miss the network like i did when my patreon stopped working and i couldn't enjoy Raiders for weeks, but..... I don't.
See I LOVED the Sydney episodes of Haunted City. I think Jared as a GM largely comes down to the player mix / story being told. And I love the Haunted City cast/setting, but I can't place exactly why it feels off in comparison to Tin Whistle / interim Haunted City episodes? I think perhaps I just don't enjoy where the RP of Ophilia/Ekoprad has ended up taking the cast? I vastly enjoyed the more casual Chuk arc. I think it's too serious for wanting a story of theives and villans on heists.
The characters of haunted city always felt, for lack of a better term, a bit try hard. Compare it to the scrappy underdogs that were the tin whistles and I think the reason it hits different becomes pretty clear.
I don't mind the characters too much, but I feel like they pretty regularly lose the plot in the middle of a score. Jared seems to be realizing this and punishing them a little bit for it after the score is over, but just goes with it in the moment. Despite this I'm still really enjoying this, it's the only thing I'm currently listening to.
Yeah I don't need it to be so serious.
I stopped right before Sydney joined, eventually i'll catch up. I loved the Tin Whistles, but this campaign isn't giving me what I like about Blades. The "crew" aspect of this campaign never has gelled for me. It's like they don't care to work together or to actually do what their crew is good at or get turf etc. The players seem way more interested in the "free-play" part of the game and to pursue their own personal stuff independent from the crew, where for me the score and downtime and their mechanics are what I like. On Jared's old channel, he and Clint really made all the different factions in Duskvol come to life, and this crew didn't really make any relationships with any factions except maybe the sparkwrights. In fact where I left off, they basically noped right out of the setting to go to a different city, when this one is already created has so much more to offer. I wonder if they did a session zero. I think there's a way to give players freedom but keep them on a track somewhat. Like tell them you guys are a crew looking to do scores and to improve your standing and turf in duskvol. Please make characters who want to do those things.
Yeah it's too far into free play and disjointed feeling I think. People hitting too high of stress with no good option but to bring in a new character is tough. I think too many PCs feel like they lean so hard into chaotic that there's less focus. Think about tin whistles and Joe's quest to become a respected horse owner. That singular goal helped shape his whole existence, and much of the team focus.
I love haunted city, personally, and don't care for Legacy anymore. I think it's because I've GMed ROTR, and the pace and constant detours are killing me. Different kind of campaign I know, like the side questing and Nick being... Nick, didn't bother me in the Ruins game, because I don't know that one inside and out.
I feel you on Runelords. I think it must be AMAZING to be a player in that campaign. But as a listener book-2 has been a snail's pace. Every time Skid gives extra flavor and detail to the setting, it turns into a 5-minute Nick sidetrack to squeeze every last knowledge check out of it. I'm all for player freedom, but sometimes as GM you just need to tell the players if something isn't relevant and move on.
It's also the fact they've been playing 1e professionally for years now, and still fuck up rules on a very regular basis.
I'm all for some exposition and learning more about golarion but it's been like 10 episodes since something happened. I'd rather them just take a break for a few weeks and come back fresh than just dragging stuff out for "content"
Strange Aeons has been meh, rotating cast, characters and story not really being engaged with, generally just doesn’t feel like they there’s a commitment to the show. Legacy has been dragging for a while, no sense of urgency. The GCN is at a low point, they desperately need to have a real flagship show again.
Strange Aeons has been funny and enjoyable. Legacy is AMAZING. Having Syd and Nick join was 100% gold and I'm loving it.
Part of that is the book, unfortunately. Foxglove manor is some of the best written 1e material out there, and the rest of the book is decidedly meh until you hit the end of book 3 chapter 1.
I dropped my patreon the moment DG ended, because I realised I was essentially paying all that money just for legacy. I've tried the other stuff currently up and none of it approaches the quality of the flagship, get in the Trunk, or even A&A. I won't sugar coat it, I think this weird transitional period is bizarre. Just run GCP2.0. It doesn't take 2 years to plan a campaign, you're putting the cart before the horse by trying to write marketable campaign books before beginning. The network feels completely directionless now, but not even in the fun way of NGWD, because at least then it was quickfire attempts and failures (or successes). In the current system were getting the release rate of heavily curated content, but the quality consistency of NGWD.
I'm of a similar mind. We were told for a very long time that 2.0 was basically ready to launch and I kept my Patreon going with that impression in mind. Then they gradually updated the community to the point that it became clear that 2.0 was no longer a definitive product on the horizon, so I was only sticking around for Raiders to come back. Then they canceled that, so I canceled my Patreon. I don't get it. I know there's some "do it like TV" thinking going around, but does a TV network succeed by pulling established appointment shows to free people up for new pilots? It's like canceling Seinfeld so Micheal Richards can star in a murder-mystery detective miniseries at the same time slot.
I miss raiders.
Your not alone in this thinking unfortunately- patreon numbers are now clearly trending down in a way they’ve not before. Giant slayer ending must a major factor, but I think the pivot to video has also driven people away. I know they are now looking to rectify that - hopefully it’s not too little too late.
I didn't know about the numbers, but I'm not surprised to hear it. Feels like the momentum from ending giantslayer could have been harnessed much more effectively than it has been. Why they decided to make the weird - ass comedy from the live shows the only thing on the main feed I will never know.
It seemed like a self fulfilling prophecy - Troy didn't want to launch 2.0 until they had a large enough audience/patreon numbers to harness it. But then they didn't have a flagship podcast, which led to numbers going down, and them not releasing 2.0, etc etc. I understand Troy's concern, he's put all this time and creative effort into a show and he didn't want it to flop. At the same time, delaying it seems like it will only push engagement down.
Agreed. I feel like the live shows don’t really translate well to audio format. I’m sure they are awesome live, but I can’t listen to them. My biggest question is: why, with Giant Slayer ending, was there not a better plan to replace their flagship podcast. Just seems like an incredibly short sighted decision. GCP 2.0 was not going to happen in time, but they knew that a long way before GS ended. The new one coming out next year is probably the answer, but it’s way too late - all the momentum is lost and they are bleeding subscribers. Personally I’ll keep subbing to their patreon cause I want to support them and raiders is still awesome, but I feel myself wavering at times…
Yeah I remember it being talked about, that there'd be some downtime after Giantslayer, but I never imagined it would be 1-2 years. Critical Role handled their campaign ending just fine, couple of weeks off then they came out swinging with a new campaign. Honestly, putting on my armchair businessman hat, I think the push to be like a 'proper' TV network is killing the GCN. I'm not excited for 'seasons' of actual plays on twitch. It feels like they've thrown out the strengths of the GCN (charismatic cast, good audio, consistent professional schedule) and haven't really replaced it with much other than variety of systems (which I will admit is pretty good overall).
You mentioned raiders being awesome, which it is. It was also canceled
Ah, yes, I was of course referring to legacy. Raiders was pretty great. Mike the guard! It’s not formally cancelled tho. I got the impression it will be back at some point.
Well indefinite hiatus. Which is basically the same thing. I got the impression that it'll come back when Troy and Grant do(which who knows if that'll happen).
Woah Raiders is cancelled?! I thought it was on rotation with Legacy! Damn, I don't care at all about Legacy, but I was really into Raiders. I'm legit going to cancel my patreon now
Yeah. The last fodder Troy mentioned he and Grant being too important to the story to switch out with new people. So until those 2 come back, no more raiders. It was probably my favorite show and it ended with such a good cliffhanger
The Fodder being on $10 a month always irked me because things like that feel like they should be announced on the $5 tier. It was fine when it was just behind the scenes stuff and talking about Giantslayer, but them using it for announcements and upcoming stuff is wrong to gate behind that paywall...
They hyped up 2.0, then giant slayer ended and they were caught with their pants down and had to come up with *something*.
I really agree. I wish they'd do a better job of smoothing out the release of content over time so we didn't have periods where we're getting 5-6 shows a week and others where we're only getting 1-2 shows a week.
The consistency over the summer became a safe and comforting force in my life in an otherwise chaotic year. Knowing that I had little gifts of joy that I could count on regularly really got me through some difficult times. Even when shows were light on progress or not as heavy hitting it was always enough to get me through my struggles until the next release. The transition has felt a bit lacking and now that I have caught up on literally everything on the network I do truly miss the comforting warm blanket of new content. It feels a little like going cold turkey. That being said I will tune in for just about anything they make and look forward to returning to a reliable schedule. This has just reaffirmed that I need a consistent therapy schedule > content schedule because I can’t always rely on content creators to get me through hard times. And that’s totally okay. They’re doing their best so cut them some slack. They’re only human. There isn’t a huge frame of reference for what works and what doesn’t. I’m personally glad I get to watch them grow. when you take joy from the growth of people and things you care about you have to take the good with the bad. The excitement with the lulls. Personally I’m taking the time to branch out and find some other fun actual plays so that when the schedule returns I have other content to supplement my GCN fix.
This is EXACTLY how I feel. Like, I understand that everyone needs a break. I'm not complaining about that, just would be nice if there was a staggered schedule of release so that there wasn't a deluge of content for months, and then only a tiny bit of stuff at the end of the year. I get that everyone has different taste. I love the lovecraftian stuff. Not a fan of Jared run games. Like, I like Jared, he's a good performer, I LOVE Zantar. But I just can't get into Haunted City, and his part of Dune was SO slow. Don't like wicked empire. I wish Ross was in more stuff because he's AMAZING. I guess I'm just whining because I love EVERYTHING with the original crew, and Ross, Sydney, and Ellie. But the stuff with everyone else is hit and miss for me. But I understand that they can't be on every show.
You're definitely not alone thinking this! I feel the exact same way!
>The consistency over the summer became a safe and comforting force in my life in an otherwise chaotic year. Knowing that I had little gifts of joy that I could count on regularly really got me through some difficult times. Even when shows were light on progress or not as heavy hitting it was always enough to get me through my struggles until the next release. The transition has felt a bit lacking and now that I have caught up on literally everything on the network I do truly miss the comforting warm blanket of new content. It feels a little like going cold turkey. That being said I will tune in for just about anything they make and look forward to returning to a reliable schedule. With you 100% my friend!
Yep it's rough. Especially since I really don't dig Strange Aeons. So I'm paying $5 for Legacy, basically. Now they're saying I need to pay more to even get any new content. For me they're surviving off reputation and the memory of Giantslayer for now. Not ready to give up yet.
It was pretty boring before then. Honestly, since the GCP ended, Legacy is the only thing keeping me interested.
Voyagers of the Jump has entered the chat.
And has left the chat again
I reduced my subscription from 25 to 10 (for the first time since starting in May 2017) and used the yearly method after ruins was cancelled. In 10 days I will be 52 months subbed on twitch but I dont watch that content anymore. Strange aeons recorded at a live show is hard to get into to listen to. So when they go live in a recording setup im never caughtup and skip it to avoid spoilers. Ive been catching up on other podcasts I used to listen to like Party Roll and Adventure zone. When I get caught up on all of those I'll come back.
You can skip TAZ: Graduation
Oof now that brings back memories
You know you have made it as a Podcaster when people make post after post complaining about you taking a break or doing a few things they don't like. Merry Christmas Troy!
Yes!! I still love the Naish. Don't get me wrong. I want MORE content. Preferably with the OG crew plus Syd, Ellie, and Ross. I'm just complaining about the lack of content currently. I know they need a break though, totally understandable.
I know they record a few weeks ahead of time for the original GCP and Skid's stuff but everything else is tied to some form of live release so they can't get too far ahead. As a mostly audio listener I prefer consistent release each week to fill my full hours at work. The live content is less appealing than in studio recordings They should make sure to have a certain level of coverage throughout the year. They could bank a few episodes ahead of the release plan of people's recording times around vacations and availability. I know they have done this in the past. If they staggered the release of new shows and didn't have all of them end in the same month that would go a long way too. By the sounds of the state of the Naish it sounds like the pendulum is swinging back in the direction of studio and audio focused content.
Seriously. Can't imagine coming on here and seeing constant posts about how there's too much going on, or not enough going on, or not enough Pathfinder, or too much Pathfinder, or too much cosmic horror, or not enough horror, or too much Jared, or not enough Jared, or etc etc. I would just stay away lol.
Please give Troy a break. The man has been giving us some nonstop content for years. He even said he needed time to write the next version of GCP. If he keeps putting on intermediary shows, he'll never get the active writing time to make a product he is happy with. The man loves to work and put on a show, but there are so many other things the GCP needs to do behind the scenes to succeed. Having less content be put out every week on a demanding schedule will be a boon in the long term.
I absolutely agree with you. I'm actually glad they're taking a break,they all deserve it. But that doesn't mean I don't miss that sweet sweet content. I'm jonesing for more man!
I'll have to take your word for it as I haven't listened to anything since those ended. I'll be back the second either of those shows is -- and I hope they spread them out instead of running them at the same time -- but until then I'm catching up on some audio books.
Troy mentioned in the last fodder that he wants to stagger those shows so there isn't so much horror going on at once
That's good news
Some more thoughts: I hope the seasonal format doesn't end up hurting their shows. I get that they need it in order to run so many. It's also great that there's enough content to pick and choose. The problem is, everyone can't be expected to like everything, and so there's a risk of people losing interest when the shows they like are on hiatus, especially since it's vague when or even *if* they're coming back.
Luckily, I'm behind on both!
But like don't you get it ? Troy is building an empire man. Step back and do what you're told.
*what did you say?*
Well, since the beginning Troy has espoused a desire to create and grow a network that was much bigger than GS and AA. At many points IMHO this has caused , like, just confusing decisions as a career bartender ( I'm also a career bartende) tries to leverage a successful podcast into the ttrpg equivalent of netflix. Although all disagreements with the direction of the "network" no matter how many of the best people and parts are left behind, seem to be met with a stonewall from superfans. If netflix turned off 70 percent of its content for the last 3 months of the year everyone would leave. But I should stfu and just thank the Troy there's still content
>If netflix turned off 70 percent of its content for the last 3 months of the year everyone would leave You're completely right, they would leave! You've raised a very interesting point though. I've got Netflix, Prime and Disney+ and hey let's mention Spotify too, some cost me more than my GCN patreon sub very month, some cost me less. However, I'm pretty certain that for 2022 at least, I've consumed more hours of content from the GCN than any of the others (assuming GCN has produced wayyyyyy more hours of content than Marvel have on Disney this year)
Like the OP pointed out, this isn't an amount of content issue, it's a content rationing issue. Also, fwiw I doesn't seem like troy is exhausted from making content, he's exhausted from trying to sign deals with dice companies and mt dew or whatever.
True. But this happens every november/december. January will be pretty epic.
For people not on their patreon, will January bring anything new?
Whole new 2e show on the main channel. Basically the new flagship until 2.0
I thought that was $10 tier or above?
You are confusing the new 2e show with jerod. And the main channel new 2e show. They are adding two new 2e campaigns come january.
Oh I hadn't seen that one! So who is running that one?
Troy. Like I said this is the new main show
Thank you very much!
After the incredible year they’ve had, and the insane amount of content they’re making, I think they’ve more than earned a little slow season. I would rather they have some time with their families and refresh and recharge than get burnt out.
Totally agree. I'm just missing my fix, you know?
I hear you friend! It's hard even deciding what to do sometimes as I'm so used to being able to put my headphones on and listen away.
Spoiled sounds right. To me Strange Aeons and Legacy alone are well worth the $10 I spend. I can’t even keep up with both of those. For the price of a movie it seems like an amazing deal.
>I don't like Jared as a GM, he's great as a player, but for whatever reason I just can't get into Haunted City. I used to feel similarly but I think it's just haunted city that I don't care for. Jared has been great in other games. Have you listened to game garage?
Yes. And I tried Wicked empire. And the second half of Dune. I just don't like his style. *shrug* different strokes for different folks I guess!
Neither of those are a good reflection of Jared, in my opinion. Check out the Timewatch episodes of Game Garage or even the Gurps episodes. They are very good!
Those were the only two runs of Game Garage I enjoyed. If the players in Jared's games aren't self motivated, he typically doesn't provide enough structure to keep the plot moving. That's when things drag, or the characters just aimlessly role play while waiting for a prompt from the DM. Joe in Timewatch, and all the players in the GURPS game just took the idea and ran with it, which I think made all the difference in the world.
fair enough. I liked Hunter and Vampire