What episode should I start with? – By Ben Clemmer.
There is a question (see the title above) that I have gotten a few times now and Storytelling Breakdown is far enough along that there are several good answers. For those who have not yet listened to Storytelling Breakdown, and want to know where to start, perhaps I can provide some guidance.
Our podcast is not an ongoing drama, where missing an episode or listening out of order would leave you lost and confused. That said, there are some obvious or not so obvious starting points depending on your taste.
Are you a Batman fan?
We have two episodes so far that focus pretty exclusively on Batman and his world. When we originally developed SB’s first season, we wanted to drop the podcast on the Joker’s 80th birthday with an episode dedicated entirely to him. When Denny O’Neil, the legendary Batman writer and editor passed away, it seemed fitting to do an episode in his honor. As a Batman fan myself, I can say these episodes were crafted to be by Batman fans for Batman fans.
Are you a Star Wars fan?
Again, we have a pair of episodes that make for quite the Star Wars offering. The titles are obvious hints of things to come and the Spotlights for those episodes are Star Wars focused as well. John Kaufeld taught Caleb and me to play Young Jedi and Stephen joined us for the Spotlight on Star Wars Battlefront II. The episode title was a not so thinly veiled Family Guy reference. Stephen joined us in the studio for a look at playing a Star Wars RPG using the Fate Core system. Stephen and I DM’d the campaign together and it was a joy to recount how things played out. Rogue Producers: A Star Wars Story is also our most listened to episode to date.
Is there an episode focusing on superheroes more generally?
I’ll start with the most recent episode and work my way backwards here. Our latest episode focused on the Snyder Cut. Caleb and I took an amazing trip to the Hall of Heroes in Elkhart, Indiana, and recounted that trip for our season one finale. Obviously the previously mentioned Batman episodes still fit here and one of our most popular episodes remains How To Make Movies The Marvel Comics Way, which focused on Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.
Is there an episode about Role Playing Games (RPGs)?
We started planning for Rogue Producers: A Star Wars Story after our seventh episode dropped in January. A Socially Distanced Party of Adventurers, Starting An RPG was the first time Caleb and I talked about D&D, Fate, Eclipse Phase, Mutants & Masterminds and other RPG games in an episode. We would love to hear stories about your experiences with RPGs or if you’ve thought about playing one for the time, reach out to us on the Storytelling Breakdown social medias!
What episodes focus on pop culture topics without hitting big fandoms like superheroes and Star Wars?
This podcast is a reflection of the stories that have been poured into us, so I’m not surprised we got to Blues Brothers, Scrubs and M*A*S*H. These episodes pair well because Rob Martinez did an amazing Spotlight that follows the M*A*S*H and Scrubs conversation. Caleb and I each got to experience shows we hadn’t watched for Fake Doctors, Real Dramedies, which made for an amazing day of production. We talked for almost two hours and a lot of it made it into the episode.
What episodes focus on production for film and TV?
We did behind-the-scenes looks at CGI, animation, as well as specific productions for Blues Brothers, M*A*S*H and Scrubs, and the Snyder Cut that were all a lot of fun to research, experience for the first time, and discuss with friends of the show.
I hope something from what I just laid out stands out to you. There really isn’t a wrong way to listen to a podcast like ours and I hope you enjoy listening wherever you start. And if you’re already listening, thank you for tuning in. I think I’ve got space for one last question.
What if I’m a fan of Bo Burnham?
Stay tuned for our next episode dropping this Friday.
Storytelling Breakdown 