Reckless Attack - Main Campaign
Quick info
Audio Quality: High Quality and Edited, Effects, Music.
Vibes: Lord of the Rings, Ghibli, Never Ending Story, Avatar the Last Airbender, Discworld, Frogs
Extras: Discord and Patreon rewards.
System: 5e DnD
Average Episode time: 1 hour
Uploads 1 Episode per week.
Campaign/ Show Length: Long Term Campaign
Platforms: Podcast, Audio Only. (Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Youtube, ect)
Accessibility: Content Warnings
Language available: English
Diversity: AAPI/BIPOC
Number of Episodes Review is based on: 100 (This is my first review so I decided to start with a Podcast I’m already caught up on)
** If you want the TLDR, scroll to the bottom of the post **
This podcast is nominated for Outstanding Fantasy Podcast at NJ Webfest and Minnesota Webfest!
Why Reckless Attack?
I honestly believe that part of the draw of listening to people play a TTRPG is not just the story telling but an assurance that adults can somehow actually and consistently come together, in person, to pull off a full long term game. Reckless Attack is one such podcast. They are a small indie podcast with excellent audio quality and editing.
But, why should you listen to another high fantasy podcast? Well, have you ever wanted to see what a post-apocalyptic High Fantasy world would look like? The deeper you delve into Reckless Attack, the deeper the lore gets, and we have barely scratched the surface a hundred episodes in. You’ll join the players as they explore a world recovering from an apocalyptic event, ripe with magic and unstable artifacts, an undead army, and frogs.
Starting The Pod
Right out the gate, the listeners are greeted by a Lord of the Rings style opening monologue, giving relevant history and context to the kind of place the characters live in. I personally get the feeling a lot of the world was established in a previous game or between the DM and players prior to the start of this campaign. If, as a listener, it feels like you’re missing something, don’t worry; you’ll get a lot more context down the road, especially once the players make it to the city of Agmar (Episode 15). The first 15 episodes are a nice slow build up.
Conveniently, the first recap episode covers Episode 1-14! (Though I really enjoyed the first 14 episodes, I know not everyone has the amount of listening time I have). If you are so inclined to start from the first episode, you’ll get nicely eased into the characters and their relationships with one another before a lot of the bigger world building really starts to soar.
(My one caveat is that I listen to this podcast at 1.3-1.4 speed since the players and Nathan speak with a good amount of pauses, and that can be a little too slow for me.)
About the Team
Nathan, the DM for the main campaign, paints some amazing pictures of his homebrew world. He has a real talent for creating larger than life NPCs and Big Baddies for his players to interact with. They all have clear motivations, flaws, and personalities that truly rounds out the overall story. When it comes to plot, Nathan kept me on my toes with plot twists that would literally snap me out of whatever multitasking I was doing. And I must recognize how often Nathan opens the floor for the players to build parts of the story and describe longer stretches of downtime. Those moments are like the equivalent of cinematic montages to represent the passing of time.
The players, Sophie, Steve, David, and Jonathan, deliver wonderful descriptions and leave plenty of space for each other to speak, balanced with just the right amount of crosstalk. Each character has a very unique voice which is helpful for listeners (especially because David and Jonathan are twins and have similar voices).
Sophie plays Valeska Carter, the Human * Cleric. “Valeska is a young woman in search of answers. Like, compulsively.”* I quickly fell in love with Val, an exhausted nerd who can never have enough notes and organization. If you’re the kind of person who is always rescuing animals, you will love her too.
Steve plays Selv Asterlin, the Dragonborn Monk. “Selv’s years at his town’s icy mountain monastery has trained not just his body, but also his mind and emotions. The large dragonborn seeks to be a peacemaker in conflicts, exuding strength, calm and serenity while straying away from violence and lethal force when possible.”* But don’t be fooled, Selv is often one for the occasional good prank, and I always appreciate Steve’s references even when the rest of the group don’t understand them. (I got you Steve)
David plays Kascorin “Kass” Brightmane, the Dwarven Warlock. “Tomorrow (Kass leaves) this city for the Golden Tree adventuring guild, and in leaving this city, (He leaves his) friends, (his) family, and (his) comfortable life behind.”* Kass is very grounded, serious, and focused, until he runs into tasty dried meats. Kass has all the charm of a warlock and the grit of a soldier.
Jonathan plays Checkers, the Gung Druid, with his trusty pals Mango and Junior. “Joining the Golden Tree adventuring guild on a dare, Checkers and his frog pal Mango are here to prove that it’s better to find your own path than to follow someone else’s. After all, where’s the fun in looking before you leap?”* Checkers is a lot like the characters I personally play. Someone who doesn’t stand around for too much planning and prefers to “leap” into action. In my very humble opinion, every group needs an instigator.
I have also come to really admire the level of trust and respect the group has for one another. They handle both wonderful whimsical beats as well as solemn moments with great care (Episode 108 was magnificent.)
*Quoted from the official Reckless Attack website. You can find this and more at their website www.recklessattack.com. (Be aware, reading the available character sheets may contain spoilers)
About the World
Ryxia is built on a world where long ago, the Gods walked among mortals, but one day they left. As if in consequence, magic in this world seems to ebb and flow, and monsters roam the wilds. Until, the “second of Ryxia’s twin suns disappeared from the sky, the Ultragiants appeared, and the Pentarchy’s great capital city of Narhasur was turned into a smoldering crater.” *
You can think of the Ultra Giants as the Titans of this world, being elemental and colossal. These Ultra Giants terrorized mortals until one day, the mortals managed to kill one “ wielding their city’s Object of Focus… The object was destroyed, as was much of the army. But strangely, within days, the Ultragiants no longer stalked Ryxia.”*
As the mortals re-emerged, they started to rebuild despite the incredible amount of monsters who now roam the lands.
*Quoted from the official Reckless Attack website. You can find this and more at their website www.recklessattack.com. (Be aware, reading the available character sheets may contain spoilers)
Extras
Aside from the main campaign Nathan has his own series called Reckless A-Talk. This series Nathan or others on the team interview incredible people from all over the TTRPG space. Nathan’s style of interviewing is mostly allowing his guest to speak more than he does, followed by the wonderful lightning round questions. I highly recommend listening to these (as a little treat) if you are interested in learning other perspectives and other aspects of the industry.
Bonus one shots are another part of Reckless Attack, allowing the players to take the reigns. They serve as fun filler for when you just can’t wait for the next episode to drop.
And if that’s still not enough content for you, you can always subscribe to their Patreon for even more content, including the very relaxed Reckless A-Snack.
TL;DR
High Fantasy world rebuilding the world after mortals were nearly wiped out.
Listeners will get a good feel of the world within the first 14 episodes. (IMO, the pacing starts to pick up after Episode 14)
Here are “Tale Til Now,” recap episodes for those who want to catch up faster. (Episodes 1-14, 14-42, 42-66, 67-84)
Non Player Characters are larger than life, with clear motives and personalities.
The Dungeon Master and Players share a lot of world building and you can feel the love and trust they have for each other.
Recommended listening at 1.3x-1.5x speed if you are one of those people (you know who you are).
Find more details about the world and characters at www.recklessattack.com.
Lots of extra content for those who just need more, including; interviews, one-shots run by the players, and patreon bonus content. https://www.patreon.com/recklessattack/home
No Context Spoilers below:
