Podcast Review: Fear the Boot: Graduate Level Podcasting with a Soul

In a pod-o-shpere filled with hundreds of podcasts dedicated to roleplaying games, Fear the Boot has stepped to the forefront with graduate level podcasting that has a soul. Most of us have listened to — or at least heard of — podcasting. If you don’t fit into one of the aforementioned categories, as a self-designated deputy of the Geek Police, I’m taking away your dice, your gaming machine, your foam sword, and all of your Collectible Card Games! Just kidding! We still love you, just not as much.

As I write this, Fear the Boot has 199 regular episodes, 34 bonus episodes, 12 outstanding interviews, three conventions and many World Wide Wing night events under their belts — and I have to tell you, they know what they are doing. If you delve into the older FTB (Fear the Boot) episodes, you can track their growth. Even after the first few podcasts though, you can see the direction they were heading in and thankfully they have stayed on course.

The “slow introduction” and the first episode aired on 15 May 2006 with the dulcet tones of Chad, Dan and Kevin.  Not many podcasts are willing to tackle such lofty subjects as when player abilities eclipse character abilities and even much less so on their first outing. The guys a FTB have never been afraid to tackle what I will call “graduate level subjects.” Well, they have always been a little apprehensive about covering animal NPCs but they finally broke the “curse” and engaged the subject in episode 197.

FTB has seen some cast changes during its tenure but Chad and Dan have been there from the beginning.  I listen to many RPG podcasts and while all offer bits of gaming goodness, FTB is like an all-you-can-eat buffet: at the end of most episodes, you just want more. I think this is why I call this “graduate level” podcasting. FTB’s subject matter (for the most part) interests me. As a gamer and as a game master, I find that every week I learn something from the “gang.” Some of the topics that were especially helpful include episode 2: “Creating a Group Template” and episode 114: “Introducing Non-Gamers to RPGs.” Episode 114 is a good example of FTB’s commitment to growing the RPG community.

I sometimes enjoy comparing gamers to people who have become re-born whatever’s (Religion, Amway, Saturn owners, insert your favorite here). As gamers and Geeks, we love our hobbies but sometimes we get so excited about them that we forget how to take baby steps to share our passions with the rest of the world. The guys at FTB understand this and have dedicated entire episodes to help us interact with the rest of the world and introduce gaming goodness to the masses.

One of the things that have always interested me about FTB is their sense of community. FTB understands that there is in fact a gaming community, and that the gaming community is part of a larger community that we call mankind. FTB has always approached podcasting with a sense of stewardship.  FTB’s community does not end with just the RPG world, however. They are always willing to lend a hand to real world causes, and one of the most amazing community services I have seen FTB support is called Rania’s Wings. Rania’s Wings is a March of Dimes charity event that honors the memory of Nick (Necronomitron on the FTB forums) and his wife’s daughter, Rania , who was tragically taken from this world long before her time. FTB along with other members of the gaming community were able to raise over $2000 dollars to support this worthwhile charity. They didn’t support this charity just because one of their forum contributors organized it; they support it because it is the right thing to do. Fear the Boot has a soul! These guys understand that we don’t game in a vacuum, and if we had to pick gaming ambassadors to the UN, these guys would be my first nomination.

The hosts of FTB try to avoid gaming stories as often as they can. They do tell gaming stories, but they are almost always on topic. The hosts are clever enough to not only make the stories interesting but they take the time to put the stories into context.  I will say that I did not enjoy the two episodes they did on gamer health, though. The episodes were well done and had high production value but this was not a topic I am interested in. I want game crunch! Some episodes are better than others and there will be times when you get tired of hearing about Venn Diagrams and broadside attacks, but these are moments compared to the hours of goodness that await.

Some people have complained that the hosts are years behind on their choice of game systems and I would agree that this was the case in the earlier episodes. To say a few of the guys are Battletech fanboys is an understatement! In their defense, they have written for the system so I guess I can cut them a little slack. The FTB crew has gamer cred platinum style! They are enroute back from Gen-Con as I write this, and they ran games there. Gen-Con is a like the Superbowl of tabletop gaming, and these guys have the chops to run games at Gen-Con. That says quite a bit about them and their mad skillz (That’s right, skillz with a Z).

Two other things to mention about Fear the Boot is their homebrew, post-apocalypse campaign Skies of Glass, and a new electronic tool they have developed called Conplanner. I feel that it is important to mention their homebrew as they have asked their listeners for input on most of the aspects of it. They have maintained creative control over the setting but they are more than willing to accept input from their listeners and are glad to give credit where credit is due. It is always refreshing to see people who are open to ideas from all angles, and let me tell you, us geeks can approach things from some weird angles! Information on Skies of Glass can be found on their well-organized web site www.feartheboot.com.

I would like to mention Conplanner as well. Conplanner is free of charge tool that is designed to help people plan cons (I know, I never would have guessed by its name…). FTB hosts an annual con called Fear the Con, and based on their experiences (good and bad), they have developed this tool to make a very complicated process much easier. If you plan a con or are thinking about planning one, this is a must see. The fact that these guys are not charging for this outstanding resource shows that they truly have a sense of community. To find it go to www.conplanner.com. You won’t be sorry!

So here is the bottom line: if you are looking for a mostly family friendly podcast that brings a well produced and intelligent view of RPGs, Fear the Boot is for you. If you are looking for loads of gamer stories, actual game play, or a raunchy look at gaming, then these guys are not for you. If you are interested in a holistic view of gaming and looking to take your game to a different level — or at least in a different direction — look these guys up, you won’t regret it.  Now knocking on their 200th episode, I felt like it was time I sent out a little love Geek Life style.

So here I am, waiting with baited breath for the 200th regular episode to drop, and what an amazing journey it has been for me as a listener! Happy 200th, keep up the good work, and always, always WRITE HARD!

About Cape Rust

Cape Rust is an international man of thespionage. Born and raised in San Antonio Texas, he joined the U.S. Army where he served 12 years six as a Military Policeman and six as an all source Military Intelligence Analyst. Being a fat, bald version of James Bond, his geek interests are wide (like his belly) and varied. His collection of gadgets (electronic and travel related) are only rivaled by the amount of pockets found on most items of clothing he wears.

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