#Usidore replied to me

[themagicallandoffoon]

Ooooo, cutting! From Usidore's twitter @usidoretheblue 27/06/17

[nilim]

Hey! I've been seeing your posts about Hello From the Magic Tavern, and I am intrigued. Would you recommend listening to seasons one and two, or even just specific episodes of those, before jumping on?

Hm, this is a tricky question! 

I think it depends on what you’re interested in. If you’re just interested in a funny podcast, then starting at any point is fine.  Season 3 is supposed to be more plot-focused and an easy jumping on point for new listeners, so I can recommend just starting there if you want to try the podcast out and see if you like it before investing more time in it. 

There’s about 100 episodes per season, and most of them do not forward the plot a lot. Early episodes are fine, but still suffer from that familiar show/podcast problem where they’re not a good reflection of what the show has become. They’re very short, and have a couple of repetitive jokes. 

HftMT was conceived as mostly a comedy improv show with a fantasy twist, and for the majority of the episodes they interview guests about their ridiculous Foon characters. ‘Plot’ was something that only slowly started building over the course of 200 episodes, the majority of which never see the cast leaving the Vermilion Minotour (the aforementioned ‘magic tavern’ where they record the podcast). 

There’s a couple of plot heavy-episodes that are fun in the previous seasons, but I feel like it’s hard to jump in on those because there’s a lot of character-building that is missing if you’re a new listener (specifically character backgrounds of returning guests who turn out to be pivotal to the plot).

I don’t think there’s a guide out there for important episodes, but if you don’t want to listen to 200 episodes, but do want backstory on important side-characters and plot, I would suggest the following episodes:

(Note: This only focuses on Foon plot, not on the Space Bunker plot and the Mysterious Man, Craig and Tricia). 

Season 1: 

Episode 1 - Introduces the premise of the podcast, introduces the three central characters, and the general flavour of the podcast. (Warning: There’s a lot of bestiality talk. I mean, Chunt’s a shapeshifter. It’s a natural topic of conversation. Also, the Wizard State.) 

Episode 16 - Spintax the Green - Introduces Spintax, Usidore’s rival and a returning character. 

Episode 18 - Blemish - Blemish is introduced. He’s gross and weird. 

Episode 51 - Baron Ragoon - Introduces Baron Ragoon, one of the Dark Lord minions. He’s a frequently returning character. 

Episode 59 - Dr. Ward - This episode is different than all the other episodes, and I’m not going to spoil it, but the boys say this is one of the episodes they’re most proud of and just… give it a listen.

Episode 77 - The Baron and the Frog - The Baron returns! And reveals his connections to the Dark Lord and some of the Dark Lord’s motivations.

Epsidoe 93 - Goblin General - Just a ‘normal’ episode, there’s some light plot stuff about the Dark Lord and goblins, and a murder plot on Arnie’s life - but the end of the episode is important to give context to the next episode. 

Episode 94 - Sarah for Real - Arnie’s wife makes an appearance in Foon. Also, this episode made me really sad for Arnie. 

Episode 95 - Tom the Spy - Prince Tomblain Belaroth infiltrates Shrike to spy on the Baron and the Dark Lord. 

Episode 100 - Usidore’s Quest - Season 1 finale episode. Things go down in the Vermilion Minotaur and the town of Hogsface.

Season 2:

Season 2, Episode 1 - The Podcast - The aftermath of the battle of Hogsface.

S2, Episode 4 - Not the Sheriff - Some insight into what is going on in Hogsface. 

S2, Episode 5 - Jayme and Sayme - I feel bad about recommending this one because Jayme and Sayme are extremely creepy. But they are the Baron’s children, and the Baron is in this one. 

S2, Episode 8 - Dripfang - This introduces Dripfang, another one the Dark Lord’s minions. Any episode that he or the Baron is in, is sure to be a good episode. 

S2, Episode 16 - Tom the Girlfriend - Tom returns! …With the Baron. 

S2, Episode 17 - Crazy Jared - The Baron and Blemish in one episode. There’s some light plot in regards to the secrets of the Vermilion Minatour. 

S2, Episode 18 - The Basement - Several murders happen at the Vermilion Minotaur. 

S2, Episode 32 - Dark Lord’s Birthday Party - The boys mingle with evil party guests and make plans on how to kill the Dark Lord. Everyone gets drunk. There’s murder orgy’s. The Dark Lord shows up.

S2, Episode 33 - Necromancer Performance Review - Dripfang has a performance review, enough said. I love this episode.

S2, Episode 50 - Reply All Wizards - A parody on the Reply All podcast, Alex interviews Spintax on Earth.

S2, Episode 59 - Activia - Activia Barleyfoot returns to the tavern, and promptly kicks out the boys.

S2, Episode 68 - But what about the Baron? - Baron Ragoon tries to move the story along

S2, Episode 69 (nice) - Tavern Heist - The boys return to the tavern.

S2, Episode 72 - Dripfang Returns - I mean… Dripfang.

S2, Episode 83 - Blemish Returns - Blemish is back, and also the concept of carfoons are explored.

S2, Episode 86 - Hogsface and Chicago - An episode in Chicago! With Sarah! This one is interesting. Also��� the birth of Carnival Wilson. 

S2, Episode 87 - Blue and Green - A fucking WILD episode in which Usidore and Spintax host a supernatural knitting radio show in Chicago and talk about their sex lives and how they’re raising a human child together. 

S2, Episode 91 - Mysterious Anonymous - The Baron shows up again. He’s having a crisis of faith.

S2, Episode 98 - Chunt’s Wedding - Chunt gets married, things get weird.

S2, Episode 99 -  The Weapon - Aftermath of the wedding, otherwise normal episode, with a bit of plot. 

S2, Episode 100 - Big Mittens Game - The mittens game that will decide the fate of the world.

S2, Episode 101 - Do NOT listen - Baron Ragoon, Dripfang, Claudia the witch and Blemish do a victory lap before destroying Earth with this podcast…

[mithlomi]

mayfalo replied to your post “Okay so I found a new podcast and I’m in love. Hello from the Magic…”

Tell me about it

So Arnie has fallen through a portal behind a Burger King in Chicago and ends up in the magical land of Foon. Using the small amount of Burger King wifi coming through the portal, he uploads podcasts interviewing the citizens of Foon. He’s accompanied by Usidore the Wizard and Chunt the Badger (who’s not really a badger but you’ll get to that…)

The whole thing is improvised with different guests every week and it’s great. The fourth episode, The FML, is particularly good…

[thehenryhiggs]

bre’s big ol podcast rec list

heyyy everyone! so @bodhilukes​ asked for podcast recommendations on twitter and @czarrish​ and i immediately jumped on that. i was gonna make this list sometime this month away, and im super excited to do it! this is probably gonna get long so under the cut we go!

COMEDIES:

1. Hello From The Magic Tavern

Updates: Every Monday

Current # Of Eps: 101

General Length Of Eps: 40 mins to an hour

Synopsis: Arnie Niekamp fell through a dimensional portal at a Burger King in Chicago into the magical, fantastical land of Foon. He’s still getting a slight wifi signal from the Burger King, so he hosts a weekly podcast with his buddies Chunt (a shapeshifter who normally takes the shape of a badger) and Usidore, a wizard. They interview different creatures from Foon each week as Arnie tries to learn about Foon, while also trying to figure out how to get back home.

Notes: Okay, I have to say it. This is my favorite podcast. I love it to absolute death. It 100% got me into improv comedy and comedy podcasts, to the point where that’s pretty much all I listen to anymore. Arnie, Matt, and Adal are sweethearts and the show is so genuinely funny and interesting. Please give this one a listen.

2. The Adventure Zone

Updates: Every other Thursday

Current # Of Eps: 57

General Length Of Eps: An hour, but there are a few that are two or three.

Synopsis: The McElroys play Dungeons and Dragons. But it’s also so much more than that.

Notes: Okay you all know how much I love this podcast. I love it to death. I’m still only like halfway through it but god it’s amazing and I’m so angry I didn’t start it earlier. All of the characters are amazing and Griffin is truly such an amazing storyteller. It’s so much deeper than you would originally think, and it will make you cry like a baby. Please listen to The Adventure Zone. Holy shit.

3. CoolGames Inc 

Updates: Every Friday

Current # Of Eps: 45, with some CGI Jrs mixed in.

General Length Of Eps: An hour (CGI Jrs are 20 mins)

Synopsis: Polygon’s Nick Robinson and Griffin McElroy take listener suggestions and make video games out of them.

Notes: These are my favorite soft boys, and they are just too funny. Some of the games they come up with are genuinely good games that you’ll be upset don’t actually exist, but most of them are just silly goofs that are guaranteed to make you laugh. This podcast single-handedly got me through last semester, so shoutout to Nick and Griffin for that. You should also check out CoolGames Inc Animated!

4. Improvised Star Trek 

Updates: Every other Monday

Current # Of Eps: 157, with a BUNCH of bonus eps mixed in

General Length Of Eps: About 30 mins for regular eps, 5 mins for bonus

Synopsis: These are the voyages of the starship Sisyphus, Starfleet’s worst crew. Captain Julius Valentine Baxter and his crew, including First Officer Corbomite Hayes, Science Officer Crick Watson, Ensign Laserbear, and Chief Medical Officer Zarlene Zonaldson, just to name a few, get into way too much trouble out in the final frontier.

Notes: I started listening to this because of Matt Young from HFTMT (and because I got super into Trek), but god I fell in love with every single character. Quite a few guests from HFTMT are regulars on IST, and their shenanigans are just amazing. If you love Trek, you’ll love this.

5. Siblings Peculiar 

Updates: Infrequently

Current # Of Eps: 29

General Length Of Eps: 30 mins

Synopsis: Adam and Sarah Peculiar (pronounced Pec-U-lAr) are trying to figure out what happened to their parents, paranormal investigators that suddenly disappeared 10 years ago. They interview conspiracy theorists of all sorts as they try to gain any information they can about their parents’ whereabouts.

Notes: I started listening to this one because of Adal Rifai from HFTMT, and I’m glad I did because he and his sister are so funny together. Their conspiracy theories are so off-the-wall hilarious (there’s a whole episode about Grease being propaganda where they interview the real creator of Grease), although I will say the comedy might not be for everyone as it can veer a little into the offensive (but it’s satire and I personally love it). It’s less frequent now because Sadieh got cast in a tv show, but I still recommend listening to it!

DRAMAS:

1. Welcome to Night Vale 

Updates: Bimonthly, on the 1st and the 15th.

Current # Of Eps: 103

General Length Of Eps: 30 mins

Synopsis: Cecil hosts a radio show in the mysterious town of Night Vale, where abnormal things like Glow Clouds, angels, ominous dog parks, and floating cats are commonplace.

Notes: We’ve all listened to WTNV at this point, right? Or at least heard of it? Besides an old Fringe podcast I used to listen to back in like 2008, this was the first podcast I ever listened to. Cecil’s voice is just incredibly soothing, I find this podcast really helps when I’m super depressed, and I used to stock up on eps specifically for those times. 

2. The Black Tapes/TANIS 

Updates: they used to be weekly but they look pretty infrequent now

Current # Of Eps: TBTP has 24, TANIS has 25, both with several bonus eps mixed in

General Length Of Eps: 30-45 mins

Synopsis: TBTP is about journalists Alex and Nic investigating The Strand Institute’s Richard Strand and his various black tapes that may be evidence of the paranormal. TANIS is the spinoff, where Nic focuses more on real life conspiracy theories as he tries to find the location of the mythical TANIS.

Notes: I’m not gonna lie, I did drop both of these podcasts and I’m not sure if I will pick them back up. But the first season of both were incredible, and @czarrish introduced them to me and they really got me into podcasts. In my opinion they both declined in quality during their second seasons, but that’s just my opinion!

3. The Penumbra Podcast 

Updates: I think it’s on hiatus? But I think it was bi-weekly at one point

Current # Of Eps: 19, with bonuses mixed in

General Length Of Eps: 30-50 mins

Synopsis: The Penumbra is the grandest hotel this side of Nowhere.The series mostly follows Detective Juno Steel trying to solve mysteries, but they’re all stories you recognize told in ways you won’t expect. 

Notes: Again, I’m not gonna lie, I’ve barely listened to this and I really don’t know that much about it. I had to take a lot of the synopsis from the actual one on their website. But the first two episodes were awesome, so I feel confident in recommending it. I think they might be rebooting it?? Idk, you might want to ask @czarrish for more details.

4. Alice Isn’t Dead

Updates: Season one wrapped in Jul 2016 and it’s been on hiatus ever since. edit: s2 is starting soon!

Current # Of Eps: 10

General Length Of Eps: 30 mins

Synopsis: Alice is a truck driver who’s driving across the country in search of her missing wife, who she thought had been dead but now has reason to believe otherwise.

Notes: This is from the creators of WTNV and features the voice of Jasika Nicole, who I know and love from Fringe but also does the voice of Dana on WTNV. It’s spooky but not too much so, and I’ve admittedly only listened to 3 episodes but just like Cecil, Jasika has a wonderfully soothing voice.

MISC:

1. Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

Updates: Every Monday

Current # Of Eps: 148

General Length Of Eps: An hour

Synopsis: Basically what it says on the tin: two guys explain in detail everything that has happened in the X-Men universe, starting at the very beginning.

Notes: Again I haven’t listened to too much of this, but it’s really fun. I’ve loved X-Men for a while but I always get confused with all the retcons and different verses and stuff, but Jay and Miles do a wonderful job of explaining everything without making it confusing.

2. Terrace House Mafia 

Updates: Infrequently

Current # Of Eps: 14

General Length Of Eps: 10-15 mins

Synopsis: Polygon’s Nick Robinson and his roommate Chad watch Terrace House: Boys & Girls in the City and talk about it. That’s it. But it’s cute as fuck.

Notes: I absolutely love listening to these guys talk about Terrace House because they’re going through the exact same journey that I (and probably everyone) went on when I first watched it. It’s quick and super fun to listen to.

3. The Probe 

Updates: Was weekly, but s1 wrapped in November so it’s been on hiatus

Current # Of Eps: 8

General Length Of Eps: 30 mins

Synopsis: A satirical take on news podcasts, two journalists follow the election at Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School, and learn about the country’s political climate along the way. 

Notes: Again, I started listening to this because Matt Young from HFTMT produced it, but I really enjoyed it beyond that. If you like HFTMT, you’ll recognize a lot of the Chicago-based actors in The Probe. Also I wasn’t exactly sure where to put this so I just put it in MISC cuz it’s like... definitely funny and improvised but also it’s a little serious, maybe? Idk, it’s satire. And it’s great satire.

I’m also gonna include the podcasts that I’m subscribed to but I haven’t actually started listening to yet. They piqued my interest but I just haven’t gotten around to listening to them yet! So here we go: The Bright Sessions, Darkest Night, The Hilarious World of Depression, Hollywood Handbook, Homecoming, Lore, My Brother My Brother And Me, Reply All, The Room Where It’s Happening, Wolf 359, With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus.