Support NeoGAF

[EastOfEden]

You want non fictional podcasts listed in the FICTIONAL podcasts OT?

Well yeah. Basically what I'm asking for is exactly the kind of thing you've already been posting, many of which I enjoy (Alice Isn't Dead, The Bright Chronicles, FETIDUS, etc), except based on true stories.

I'm surprised you wouldn't like to hear a good audio-drama story series just because it isn't fictional.

There's a Podcast OT already.

EDIT: Never mind, did a few more searches and found it.

 

[More_Badass]

Tor Books (the publishing label) is entering the arena
http://anotheruniverse.com/tor-books-announces-tor-labs-dramatic-podcast-imprint

Tor Labs will debut this summer with Steal the Stars, a science fiction audio drama which will be produced in partnership with Gideon Media and written by Mac Rogers, the award-winning writer of the global hit podcast thrillers, The Message and LifeAfter.

Steal the Stars is the story of Dakota Prentiss and Matt Salem, two government employees guarding the biggest secret in the world: a crashed UFO. Despite being forbidden to fraternize, Dak and Matt fall in love and decide to escape to a better life on the wings of an incredibly dangerous plan: They're going to steal the alien body they've been guarding and sell the secret of its existence.

Steal the Stars is a noir science fiction thriller in 14 episodes, airing weekly from August 2 – November 1, 2017

 

[MHWilliams]

Listening to The Box. Have the same problem I did with Magnus Archive S1. Some skepticism is fine, but excessive skepticism is grating. Addison is super annoying at times.

 

[Fancolors]

Dunno how I feel about Archive 81 right now. I appreciate the new territory they are exploring, but I can see why someone would be disappointed with the shift between seasons. The stakes are too high compared to the beginning.

 

[More_Badass]

Got a whole bunch of good ones

The Strange Case of Starship Iris

In 2189, Earth narrowly won a war against extraterrestrials. The Strange Case of Starship Iris is about what comes after. It's a story of outer space, survival, espionage, resistance, identity, friendship, found family, romance, and secrets. (Also, there’s jokes.)

Sight Unseen

Amanda Houston is a beautiful, popular High School student. An amateur surfing champion and model she has the world at her feet until she loses her sight in a tragic car accident. As she tries to cope with this drastic change in her life, she experiences unexpected psychic powers and a mysterious visitor comes to be her guide on the journey through her new world.

The Earth Collective

Joseph Crane, humanity's last historian, fights to chronicle their survival in the rolling society known as The Collective on the hostile planet Oasus.

Greater Boston

Greater Boston is a bi-monthly full-cast audio drama set in the Boston metro area, blending the real and the unreal, the historical and the fantastical. It all begins with the death of Leon Stamatis, a man so enamored of predictability that the least hint of uncertainty makes life unbearable. But by leaving the world, he has irrevocably changed it.

 

[Fancolors]

Darkest Night just released a teaser for the season 2. Expect something on Memorial Day (29th)

 

[Malyse]

Greater Boston

I didn't like this show.

 

[Swamped]

I didn't like this show.

Aw, really? Can I ask why? I just added it to my playlist based on the description, seemed interesting

 

[Malyse]

Aw, really? Can I ask why? I just added it to my playlist based on the description, seemed interesting

I thought it was boring. I tried far too many times to give it a shot and I gave up.

 

[Sulik2]

Listening to The Box. Have the same problem I did with Magnus Archive S1. Some skepticism is fine, but excessive skepticism is grating. Addison is super annoying at times.

Did you finish S1? He literally explains his skepticism in the season finale and there is an in universe reason for it.

 

[Skittles]

Latest magnus archives is on some Soma-type shit. Where the horror comes less from the situation and more from the concept

 

[outunderthestars]

Boy, the Minnow Eats Whale stuff (Black Tapes, Tanis, Rabbits) really grinds the same formula into the ground.

Any suggestions for series that actually come to some level of conclusion?

 

[Fancolors]

Boy, the Minnow Eats Whale stuff (Black Tapes, Tanis, Rabbits) really grinds the same formula into the ground.

Any suggestions for series that actually come to some level of conclusion?

I think the best way of enjoying their shows is to stick to one and pretend the rest doesn't exist. The ambiguity of the Black Tapes supernatural doesn't mesh well with the weird Illuminati-ish cult of Tanis nor the ARG in Rabbits. Even if you can live with these events existing right next to one another, you are still left with very similar characters paired with their respective unlikely investigation partners.

If you want something of similar length with a conclusion, try the Deep Vault.

edit: Maybe Secrets, Crimes & Audiotape? It's multiple stories of 3-5 episodes, they all have a beginning and an end.

 

[Skittles]

Boy, the Minnow Eats Whale stuff (Black Tapes, Tanis, Rabbits) really grinds the same formula into the ground.

Any suggestions for series that actually come to some level of conclusion?

Wormwood, i think Archive 81 just ended, Pleasure Town, We're Alive, and i think Mabel just ended. The Magnus Archives will eventually end and it's one of the best going on right now

 

[Fancolors]

Darkest Nights released two episodes and an a-ma-zing season 1 recap

 

[OceanicAir]

Got a whole bunch of good ones

The Strange Case of Starship Iris

Sight Unseen

The Earth Collective

Greater Boston

I've listened to the Earth Collective and Sight Unseen, they are fun stuff! Just have the Starship Iris now. I've listened to Greater Boston already, need to catch up though. I found it a nice change of pace from all of the sci-fi/fantasy/horror podcasts listen to.



Also, some people from ars Paradoxica are starting another podcast called The Far Meridian

The Far Meridian tells the story of Peri, an agoraphobic young woman whose home starts to show up in a new location every day, as she searches for her missing brother.

Starts June 5th

 

[frequency]

Episode 40 of the Bright Sessions has way too much yelling and bad melodrama.

 

[More_Badass]

Sayer is back!

 

[Skittles]

Sayer is back!

It's good so far. Was wondering how they were gonna tackle the ending of the last season. Excited to see where it goes from there

So The Earth Collective is some really great stuff. Yall need to hop on that if you haven't already. It has the potential to become something really amazing.

Sight Unseen has an interesting premise but my god does it have a hill to climb before it becomes good. 3 eps in and so far all of the main cast is unlikable and it's set in highschool. Also, I hope the show doesn't seriously expect me to give a damn about what happened to the main girl; she literally had everything, rich, white, apparently hot, boyfriend, and good enough at sports to be a professional on top of all this she was a terrible person. Plus, her crash wasn't even all negatives since she got super powers out of it.

 

[Ventilaator]

Going through this thread and tripling the size of my subscriptions list.

Question! Has there even been a fictional podcast that is presented as just a regular podcast with people sitting around a table and talking about something normal, but it's scripted? I'm basically picturing a show that seems 100% completely normal, but then tiny things start seeming off here and there until in the final episode it's revealed that everyone was aliens.

Or did I just invent a unique new take of this formula....

 

[Malyse]

Going through this thread and tripling the size of my subscriptions list.

Question! Has there even been a fictional podcast that is presented as just a regular podcast with people sitting around a table and talking about something normal, but it's scripted? I'm basically picturing a show that seems 100% completely normal, but then tiny things start seeming off here and there until in the final episode it's revealed that everyone was aliens.

Or did I just invent a unique new take of this formula....

Siblings Peculiar was something like this, if you ignore that it's also terrible.

 

[Skittles]

Going through this thread and tripling the size of my subscriptions list.

Question! Has there even been a fictional podcast that is presented as just a regular podcast with people sitting around a table and talking about something normal, but it's scripted? I'm basically picturing a show that seems 100% completely normal, but then tiny things start seeming off here and there until in the final episode it's revealed that everyone was aliens.

Or did I just invent a unique new take of this formula....

Hello from the Magic Tavern is almost that, where you have people making a podcast but it's in a magic setting and it's improv. King Falls AM is a scripted late night radio talk show, so it also is close to fitting what you're talking about.

Oh man, Sight Unseen is one step away from YA novel territory. I'll probably drop it in the second season if nothing changes.

The latest episode of the Magnus Archives was quite amazing. I loved how they played off human curiosity in it. The best part was that

Spoiler

the book may only be telling you the date you die. Meaning that the choices you take to avoid that death, lead you to death even quicker. So it leads to a vicious cycle of paranoia of constantly checking the book in the hopes of surviving but your mental state breaks down as you see your death encroaching upon you.

 

[PushingButtons]

So I took a long break from listening to these types of podcasts but I've gotten the urge to listen to them again.

I started up The Magnus Archives and while I think the narrator sounds a little corny I'm really enjoying it.

Long ago I went through and listened to Limetown and The Black Tapes and very much enjoyed them. My biggest gripe with TBT was it got exhausting due to the lack of any sort of conclusions. It felt like one tease after another and I can't even remember if I finished it.

Does anybody have any recommendations on what I should listen to alongside The Magnus Archives? I'm a sucker for horror/supernatural/paranormal stuff.

Welcome to Night Vale and King Falls AM both sounded amazing when I read their descriptions but when I listed to an episode or two of each I was very disappointed. A bit too much comedy and craziness.

 

[Fancolors]

So I took a long break from listening to these types of podcasts but I've gotten the urge to listen to them again.

I started up The Magnus Archives and while I think the narrator sounds a little corny I'm really enjoying it.

Long ago I went through and listened to Limetown and The Black Tapes and very much enjoyed them. My biggest gripe with TBT was it got exhausting due to the lack of any sort of conclusions. It felt like one tease after another and I can't even remember if I finished it.

Does anybody have any recommendations on what I should listen to alongside The Magnus Archives? I'm a sucker for horror/supernatural/paranormal stuff.

Welcome to Night Vale and King Falls AM both sounded amazing when I read their descriptions but when I listed to an episode or two of each I was very disappointed. A bit too much comedy and craziness.

Darkest Night will be your new favorite podcast then.

Archive 81 is also great.

 

[Skittles]

So I took a long break from listening to these types of podcasts but I've gotten the urge to listen to them again.

I started up The Magnus Archives and while I think the narrator sounds a little corny I'm really enjoying it.

Long ago I went through and listened to Limetown and The Black Tapes and very much enjoyed them. My biggest gripe with TBT was it got exhausting due to the lack of any sort of conclusions. It felt like one tease after another and I can't even remember if I finished it.

Does anybody have any recommendations on what I should listen to alongside The Magnus Archives? I'm a sucker for horror/supernatural/paranormal stuff.

Welcome to Night Vale and King Falls AM both sounded amazing when I read their descriptions but when I listed to an episode or two of each I was very disappointed. A bit too much comedy and craziness.

The voice actor for magnus really shows his chops once you get to the parts where he interacts with other characters.

These recommendations are on top of archive 81/darkest night
For short form horror you have:
No sleep and knifepoint horror

For occult/supernatural you have:
Wormwood and Alice isnt dead

For lighthearted supernatural you have:
Uncanny county, The bridge, and Levithan chronicles(this is more scifi though)

For sci fi horror/black comedy you have:
Sayer

My enjoyment of darkest night has wanned every since they

Spoiler

explained everything away as drug trips

 

[PushingButtons]

Darkest Night will be your new favorite podcast then.

Archive 81 is also great.

The voice actor for magnus really shows his chops once you get to the parts where he interacts with other characters.

These recommendations are on top of archive 81/darkest night
For short form horror you have:
No sleep and knifepoint horror

For occult/supernatural you have:
Wormwood and Alice isnt dead

For lighthearted supernatural you have:
Uncanny county, The bridge, and Levithan chronicles(this is more scifi though)

For sci fi horror/black comedy you have:
Sayer

My enjoyment of darkest night has wanned every since they

Spoiler

explained everything away as drug trips

Thanks! Downloaded a couple episodes from each of these. Listened to episode one of Archive 81 and enjoyed!

Gah, I wish I didn't look at that spoiler tag while quoting

 

[PushingButtons]

Quick thoughts after checking out a few of these

Sayer: Went through 2-3 episodes and I'm pretty bored by it. I might give it another episode or two but it hasn't really grabbed me.

Darkest Night: Dug the binaural audio they used - decent first episode - will be going back to it for sure since I've only listened to the first one.

Alice Isn't Dead: I was just confused by the 2-3 episodes I listed to and it didn't grab me either. I might revisit it since I was a little distracted when I was listening at work.

Archive 81: I'm liking this one after a couple episodes, definitely continuing on with it.

Wormwood: Holy shit I'm hooked and loving this one. This one is definitely my favorite out of this new batch of podcasts I've checked out. Really surprised it's 10 years old

 

[Skittles]

Quick thoughts after checking out a few of these

Sayer: Went through 2-3 episodes and I'm pretty bored by it. I might give it another episode or two but it hasn't really grabbed me.

Darkest Night: Dug the binaural audio they used - decent first episode - will be going back to it for sure since I've only listened to the first one.

Alice Isn't Dead: I was just confused by the 2-3 episodes I listed to and it didn't grab me either. I might revisit it since I was a little distracted when I was listening at work.

Archive 81: I'm liking this one after a couple episodes, definitely continuing on with it.

Wormwood: Holy shit I'm hooked and loving this one. This one is definitely my favorite out of this new batch of podcasts I've checked out. Really surprised it's 10 years old

Give Sayer until the end of episode 6 before you drop it. Also, it does develop an over arching narrative.

Alice isnt dead is a bit confusing at first, but the world is extremely interesting

So after some pretty severe crippling depression, the creator of The Levithan Chronicles is resuming work. Good for him, hope its therapeutic for him. Theres only a dozen or so episodes left and he talked about plans for other things. Hope it's as good as this serious

 

[AmethystEnd]

So I've just discovered The Magnus Archives (like, in the last 24 hours) along with this thread (literally just now).

I'm now on episode 27 (A Sturdy Lock).

Where has this been all my life?

 

[Sulla1980]

The Darkest Night has seemed to have taken a nosedive this season.

The main problem is that it has become rather uninteresting. Kind of spoilery -->

Spoiler

I think that they were trying to follow last season's model of building up to something, but the payoff seems flat.

Also, the acting and dialogue has become hammy, and I find myself rolling my eyes to what the characters are saying.

At least it still has great narration.

 

[TerminalDogma]

Hey there, PodcastGAF! Me and some friends have been recording a podcast over the last month or two and we are about to launch it. We've put up 4 episodes on Soundcloud as a sort of "soft launch", mostly so we could hear the finalized product and share it among ourselves. It's a comedy podcast, all improvised. The premise is that this character Dean Ashcroft is tired of trying to sell his scripts to Hollywood only to get turned away, so he is now releasing them on the internet via his new podcast "Dean Ashcroft Presents: Tales from the Mind of Dean Ashcroft". Each episode is essentially some kind of schlocky B movie script, or a take from a tv show. The first four episodes up on Soundcloud are specifically Sci-Fi, Horror, Fantasy and Noir. Each episode is about 30-35 minutes long. If you have the time and/or interest, please give a listen and leave me some feedback! I've had my friends listen and they all enjoy it, and I've enjoyed it, but I'd like some feedback from people who are just not involved/connected in any way. If you only have time for one I'd recommend either City of Corruption City of Sin (Noir), or Planet of the Not Dinosaurs (Sci-Fi). I feel those are our two strongest right now.

https://soundcloud.com/dean-ashcroft-812395527

 

[fredrancour]

Getting to listen to the new Magnus ep, "Fatigue," an episode about

Spoiler

insomnia

while walking home from work during a week of sleep deprivation, was a freaking trip. I think that's my new favorite one.

 

[AmethystEnd]

I just caught up on Magnus Archives.

The wait for more episodes is going to be torture.

I'm gonna start The Black Tapes.

 

[frequency]

I would recommend against starting The Black Tapes. It was good at first but then gets bad and then goes into some hiatus or something for the longest time. It's been almost a year since the last episode.

They present a billion questions and mysteries and don't answer any of them then go MIA to work on other podcasts for over a year. F them.

 

[AmethystEnd]

I would recommend against starting The Black Tapes. It was good at first but then gets bad and then goes into some hiatus or something for the longest time. It's been almost a year since the last episode.

They present a billion questions and mysteries and don't answer any of them then go MIA to work on other podcasts for a year. F them.

I'm in the middle of the first episode and I already don't really like how it's presented compared to Magnus.

Do you have any suggestions for other horror podcasts that are like Magnus?

I know a few that are basically just people reading short horror stories (Knifepoint Horror, Pseudopod), and those are fine, but not really the same as Magnus.

 

[frequency]

A lot of people have mentioned/recommended Archive 81. I'm just starting it myself and it's pretty good so far.

 

[Jmille99]

I would recommend against starting The Black Tapes. It was good at first but then gets bad and then goes into some hiatus or something for the longest time. It's been almost a year since the last episode.

They present a billion questions and mysteries and don't answer any of them then go MIA to work on other podcasts for over a year. F them.

I hate in some podcasts (such as Black Tapes, Tarnis, etc) where they reiterate how they are doing a podcast, how its doing well, etc. Or in a case of Small Town Horror do the same thing, but also bleed in their sponsors into the show. Absolutely hate it.

 

[AmethystEnd]

A lot of people have mentioned/recommended Archive 81. I'm just starting it myself and it's pretty good so far.

I'll give it a go.

 

[frequency]

I hate in some podcasts (such as Black Tapes, Tarnis, etc) where they reiterate how they are doing a podcast, how its doing well, etc. Or in a case of Small Town Horror do the same thing, but also bleed in their sponsors into the show. Absolutely hate it.

TBT's ad transitions were so annoying. Took me completely out of it.

I understand they have to do ads but just do them at the beginning/end! Transitioning to ads right in the middle of the podcast the way they did by trying to tie it into the fiction made it worse.

 

[AmethystEnd]

TBT's ad transitions were so annoying. Took me completely out of it.

I understand they have to do ads but just do them at the beginning/end! Transitioning to ads right in the middle of the podcast the way they did by trying to tie it into the fiction made it worse.

That sounds fucking awful. I really appreciated that ads were always only in the beginning and end of Magnus Archives episodes.

 

[Jmille99]

Also, not sure if anyone listens to The Blood Crow Stories, but Ive been enjoying it. Its someone who has recordings of a cruise ship/submarine during WW2 where a group of individuals are recorded per request of a doctor doing a study or whatever. Then shit goes south.

 

[AmethystEnd]

Also, not sure if anyone listens to The Blood Crow Stories, but Ive been enjoying it. Its someone who has recordings of a cruise ship/submarine during WW2 where a group of individuals are recorded per request of a doctor doing a study or whatever. Then shit goes south.

Haven't heard of it. Is it horror?

Also, general request to everyone: I'm looking for more fictional horror podcasts that aren't just people reading short stories that have nothing to do with each other from episode to episode. My preference is supernatural horror (ghosts, demons, possessions, other planes [and not in a sci-fi portaly way]), not sci-fi horror.

I'd love more suggestions.

 

[More_Badass]

So I've just discovered The Magnus Archives (like, in the last 24 hours) along with this thread (literally just now).

I'm now on episode 27 (A Sturdy Lock).

Where has this been all my life?

Damn, you went through Magnus fast. How do you think the second season episodes compare to the first? I felt that, besides a few, most haven't been as scary or unsettling

Give Sayer until the end of episode 6 before you drop it. Also, it does develop an over arching narrative.

This. Always give Sayer the first six episodes before passing on it or not. Episode 6 was the one where it really clicked with me

 

[AmethystEnd]

Damn, you want through Magnus fast. How do you think the second season episodes compare to the first? I felt that, besides a few, most haven't been as scary or unsettling

I agree, and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the author said for the second season and onward he has a tighter grasp on how he wants the meta-plot to go, meaning a lot more episodes will be constrained by the need to tie them into the overall mythology of the world.

This isn't to say I haven't enjoyed every episode though. I LOVE the meta-plot of Magnus almost as much as I love its best monster-of-the-week type episodes.

Which episodes have been the creepiest/most unsettling for you?

 

[More_Badass]

I agree, and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the author said for the second season and onward he has a tighter grasp on how he wants the meta-plot to go, meaning a lot more episodes will be constrained by the need to tie them into the overall mythology of the world.

This isn't to say I haven't enjoyed every episode though. I LOVE the meta-plot of Magnus almost as much as I love its best monster-of-the-week type episodes.

Which episodes have been the creepiest/most unsettling for you?

Across The Street
Thrown Away
Bone Turners Tale
The Man Upstairs
Freefall

 

[AmethystEnd]

Across The Street
Thrown Away
Bone Turners Tale
The Man Upstairs
Freefall

I love all of those as well. As I listened to each episode I also pulled up the relevant episode discussions on the rusty quill board and the subreddit, and it was surprising that there were people who thought Freefall was a weak episode.

I also love The Butcher's Window (the sort of "sequel" to Bone Turner's Tale) and The End of the Tunnel.

 

[Natiko]

I really enjoy the episodes of TMA but honestly I've really lost the overall narrative thread. I just can't remember what all these ominous beings are or what all they have done in the past.

 

[AmethystEnd]

I really enjoy the episodes of TMA but honestly I've really lost the overall narrative thread. I just can't remember what all these ominous beings are or what all they have done in the past.

I think it helps that I binged all 74 episodes in 5 days.

 

[Skittles]

I'm in the middle of the first episode and I already don't really like how it's presented compared to Magnus.

Do you have any suggestions for other horror podcasts that are like Magnus?

I know a few that are basically just people reading short horror stories (Knifepoint Horror, Pseudopod), and those are fine, but not really the same as Magnus.

Haven't heard of it. Is it horror?

Also, general request to everyone: I'm looking for more fictional horror podcasts that aren't just people reading short stories that have nothing to do with each other from episode to episode. My preference is supernatural horror (ghosts, demons, possessions, other planes [and not in a sci-fi portaly way]), not sci-fi horror.

I'd love more suggestions.

Definitely start Archive 81, it's the closet in structure to Magnus Archives. Wormwood is also excellent and focuses heavily on the occult. While not exactly what you're looking for, check out Alice Isn't Dead; not strictly horror, but it does delve into a very weird world.

I agree, and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the author said for the second season and onward he has a tighter grasp on how he wants the meta-plot to go, meaning a lot more episodes will be constrained by the need to tie them into the overall mythology of the world.

This isn't to say I haven't enjoyed every episode though. I LOVE the meta-plot of Magnus almost as much as I love its best monster-of-the-week type episodes.

Which episodes have been the creepiest/most unsettling for you?

Lost John's Cave
The Man Upstairs
Killing Floor
Anatomy Class
Children of the Night
Personal Space
Binary (was on some Soma-type shit)

It's kind of sad that I can count on one hand all the good occult horror podcasts. Such a great genre that's not being taken advantage of.

 

[AmethystEnd]

Definitely start Archive 81, it's the closet in structure to Magnus Archives. Wormwood is also excellent and focuses heavily on the occult. While not exactly what you're looking for, check out Alice Isn't Dead; not strictly horror, but it does delve into a very weird world.

Lost John's Cave
The Man Upstairs
Killing Floor
Anatomy Class
Children of the Night
Personal Space
Binary (was on some Soma-type shit)

It's kind of sad that I can count on one hand all the good occult horror podcasts. Such a great genre that's not being taken advantage of.

Oh, shit, the imagery of the video from Binary made me turn the lights on in my room, actually.

But hmm... Lost John's Cave...

I just looked back at the list of episodes and for whatever reason I have no recollection of these three:

I guess it's possible I was dozing off for those three, so I guess I'll give them all a re-listen.

-----

About Archive 81. I do like how it's presented, and I like the main character. However, the actual content has been hit-or-miss for me so far.

Is there a point where it becomes more paranormal? There've been hints of paranormal stuff 6 episodes in (the guided meditation tape specifically comes to mind) but mostly it just seems like a psychological torture experiment that the main character is being forced to take part in by some shady organization that isn't necessarily paranormal.

-----

I'll give Wormwood a look after I re-listen to those 3 episodes of Magnus I can't remember.