5 GMs in a Trenchcoat: Season 2 Blood Money

Cyberpunk RedPodcastShort Term CampaignFATE
Written By Ciera Terry

Quick info

Audio Quality: Good Quality, music, and effects. (There are occasional moments of room noise and peaking, but the team makes improvements overtime)
System: Cyberpunk Red, (Many other systems used for other Seasons and Miniseries)
Vibes: Cyberpunk, Oceans 11, Fast N Furious, Total Recall, Dimension 20's Starstruck, Guardians of the Galaxy (NOTE: each campaign can be very different in genre so this is only for Season 2)
Extras: Discord, a few mini-series, and a complete Season 1 campaign using the Fate System.
Number of Episodes Review is based on: 10 episodes
Average Episode time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Upload Frequency: 1 Episode a week.
Diversity: BIPOC, LGBTQIA+
Platforms: Podcast, Audio Only. (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music)
Accessibility: Content Warnings available in descriptions. Transcripts are available in Apple Podcasts.

You can find the TL;DR at the end of the article.

This podcast is Crit Awards: Best Upcoming Podcast 2024!!


Why 5 GMS in a Trenchcoat?

"5 GMs in a Trenchcoat is a TTRPG actual-play podcast about friendship, storytelling and really, really stupid bits. In all seriousness, it's an AP podcast where 5 friends take turns weaving stories through the tabletop system of their choice each season." Each season of 5 GMs in a Trenchcoat has a different Game Master (GM) and uses a different game system. If you are looking for casual gameplay, diversity, and non-D&D content; you can look to the team at 5GMs in a Trenchcoat.

While this review primarily focuses on Season Two: Blood Money, you can expect a variety of genres and game systems when you follow this podcast. And they are only just getting started! As of 9/5/2024, they announced a new campaign called The Gate to the Old World, in partnership with Modiphius Games. From what we know, it will feature Sachi and uses the Dreams and Machines TTRPG System by Modiphius. (I did manage to listen to the first few minutes of the episode and they really stepped up their game for this one)

About the World

The year is 2045, 20 years following the Fourth Corporate War between two mega-corporations; Arasaka, Japanese security, and Militech, American weapons development. The conflict ended when a pocket nuke exploded in Arasaka Tower in the heart of Night City, an event which Arasaka took the blame for and led to its banishment from the US.

Our adventure is set in a metropolis scarred and broken from the Fourth Corporate War featuring hot zones with dangerously high radiation levels. The people of the city are still trying to rebuild in a capitalist hellscape run by corporations, corruption, and organized crime.

This season checks all the boxes regarding a sci-fi action show. Jesse keeps true to the aesthetic of the Cyberpunk setting with 40s film noir mixed with gothic styles of the 90s, and the common themes of high tech but low quality of life. When approaching this podcast, make sure to look for the content warnings in the descriptions, but expect to have sex clubs, profane humor, cyber body modification, violence, and a war-torn city peppered with radiation spots.

You can find their world-building information, and “a really cool trailer,” here:

Season 2 - Blood Money 

Listening

I would describe the editing of this podcast as halfway between listening to a live play and a tightly edited production. The relaxed editing includes cross-talk and quips but keeps the pacing going. The audience gets the full experience of how well this table understands and collaborates together.

I appreciate the care and creativity that is put into the sound effects and music. I get immense joy from the cheeky smartphone typing sounds when they text each other (and it happens a lot).

About the Team

When I asked the group what got them to start their podcast Adam Gonzales answered, “I had gotten my degree in English, and I kind of had this concept story idea that I [noticed] not a lot of podcasts were doing, which was, sort of like a collection of stories and like half of us are English majors and then another half of us have done, like, media work.” Adam explained that the book motif they carry throughout their media is an homage to that initial inspiration.

For this campaign, Jesse Espinoza (he/him) is the GM. Jesse runs the campaign in a mission-based way, most episodes start with a new mission given to the players through a liaison. Beyond that, he lets the players loose in the city. Jesse keeps the story grounded with quick moments of downtime that can span a week or so in-game between missions, (meaning that while in real-time it’s only been a few minutes, more time has passed for the characters in the story). This allows players to earn extra cash and work on projects. His players lauded his ability to improv anything they throw at him, and you find evidence of this throughout the campaign.

Tanner Sherlock (he/him) plays John Reynalds (he/him,) a pistol-wielding cyber cowboy. Tanner explained while creating his character that Cyberpunk supports cowboys. (Please give me more sci-fi Westerns!) Tanner continued, ”I was thinking Firefly, Malcolm Reynolds, you know, Red Dead Redemption, right?” He’s a cowboy, “but he’s also like a schlub.” John takes a leadership role in the group, whether intentionally or not, and the rest of the team often follows his lead when planning moves.

Adam Gonzales (he/they) plays Arthur "Doc" Cooperski (he/him.) Doc is the medical scientist of the group; being a Doctor just pays the bills. Adam said when talking about Doc, “I kind of was trying to see if I could build like a healer slash reporter that could also wreck shit.” Doc has some very clever abilities that essentially hijack people's bodies through his medical knowledge.

Kim Tsuyuki (she/her) plays Aku (he/they), a hacker with few words, all action. “I like to say that my specialty is playing weird little guys,” Kim revealed while talking about Aku. They are a great example of roleplay that is less conversational and more about body language. Later in the season, you get more information about them that I dare not spoil.

Tanlynn Morgan (they/she) plays Madame Despair (she/her,) the sexy dominatrix executive who is almost always accompanied by Westly, a scrawny man who does whatever she asks of him (consensually). She never passes up an opportunity to add a sexual innuendo even in the heat of a battle, and Westly does a lot of the dirty work in her place in a fight. When considering the character they wanted to play they asked Jesse, “What if I played a big sexy executive lady and went from there?”

Season 1: Fragments of the Rebellion

If Science Fiction isn’t what you’re looking for, I highly recommend the premier season. Season 1: Fragments of the Rebellion is run by Game Master (GM) Tanner Sherlock, uses the Fate System, and is set in a high fantasy world of dragon riders. Tanner is an experienced GM who is not afraid of epic world-building and engaging his players with political conflict.

If you love riding dragons, found family, and political intrigue you’ll love this premier season. Those (me) who unabashedly love House of Dragons and Fourth Wing will love this story.

The Fate System is one of the most versatile systems with no core setting, encouraging you to make your own! I own a copy of the Fate Core Rules, and though I have not played it myself, the writing is very new-player-friendly especially the latest edition. Fate only uses 6-sided dice, and you can get dice specifically made for the system called Fate Dice.

I love seeing an example of a high fantasy setting that isn’t Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder, especially one with a rich and vivid world. Although it is a concept often seen in films and books, it isn’t one I’ve encountered in the actual play space yet.

(Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music)

Extras

Aside from their ongoing campaign, you can expect fun and quick short campaigns highlighting different game systems and genres, and there are many more to come. These short campaigns include;

I asked what else was in store for “5 GMs” and they answered, “We're going to be opening a Patreon shortly, that's going to have a handful of different content.” This can include art content with Tanlynn, a new segment called “Test Table…where we do one episode of 30 to 60 minutes where we playtest a board game, a card game, and one-page TTRPGs [Table Top Role Play Games], and then we give it one out of five GMs.” They are also working on reaching out to other players in the TTRPG industry to get guests on future episodes. “We are trying to get your favorites,” Adam added.

You will also find group members taking part in the development and writing TTRPGs that will eventually be available to back on crowdfunding sites. More information will be available on their socials so make sure to give them a follow so you can see future announcements!

TL;DR

  • All players are also Game Masters (GM) and will trade off who is the GM for different campaigns. Each campaign is a unique story and unique game system.

  • Almost all BIPOC team.

  • Season one, run by GM Tanner Sherlock, uses the Fate System and is set in a high fantasy world of dragon riders.

  • Season Two: True to the Night City setting of the Cyberpunk Red System including sex clubs, cyber body modification, violence, and a war-torn city peppered with radiation spots.

  • Casual Gameplay with an emphasis on roleplay.

  • Relaxed editing style, balancing live play feel with focused pacing.

  • Plans for future content include a Patreon, game testing segment, and guest appearances

  • Aside from the main campaign are several short campaigns with different systems;

  • Website: https://www.5gmsinatrenchcoat.com/

  • Lintree: https://linktr.ee/5gmsinatrenchcoat

  • As of 9/5/2024, they announced a new campaign called The Gate to the Old World, in partnership with Modiphius Games. So far what we know is that it will feature Sachi and uses the Dreams and Machines TTRPG System by Modiphius.


Check out the newly announced show:

No Context Spoilers Below:

 
Ciera Terry
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