Even Interviewers Need to Be Interviewed
- Tony Spengler
- Mar 2, 2023
- 5 min read
March 2023/ Tony Spengler
There are thousands of actual play podcasts out there these days. Our TTRPG community is massive and it continues to grow. There are a few paladins for the cause among the community that spend their time reviewing and interviewing APs to spread awareness. One of these golden apples I found on the Blue Bird site, and have talked with a bit on Stories and Sorceries’ Discord channel. I got the great opportunity to ask this gem of a person some questions, and got to know one of the hosts of the Talking Is A Free Action podcast, Owen Batista.
Land of Origin: Raised in South Florida. “Yes, most of what you hear about it is true.”
Name/Handle: Owen Batista/Vladdviever.
Experience: I've been DMing as long as I've been playing ttrpg. I started with 3.5 back in high-school, so I've been playing for about 17 or 18 years now.
Age: I'm enjoying the last year of my early 30s.
Favorite Race and/or Class Archetype: I'm a sucker for a gish. Sword in one hand and spells in the other. In 5e I've enjoyed Barbarian and Wizard as well. Race wise, I don't really consider myself to have a preference; I've enjoyed everything from Human to Goblin, Skeleton to Reborn.
Q) I haven’t gotten a chance to listen to your podcast, but it's on my list! Could you give an elevator pitch for your podcast for our readers to know what you’re about?
A) Sure! We're a D&D/TTRPG talk show where each week friends Owen and Marvin chat with each other and occasional guests, about running a table/GMing, content, and whatever else comes up, interlaced with stories of our personal games.
Though if you really want to get a feel for it, 1.35 is Marvin's fav episode we've done.
“A Turdungeon” is the name of the episode. We've also featured a variety of guests from the Stories and Sorceries gents to Zach from the Warlock: A D&D Audio Drama, along with our personal friends and players to get their input.
Q) I'll definitely go listen to that episode. How long have you and Marvin been running this podcast?
A) We initially started streaming on Twitch 2 years ago, but weren't recording the episodes very consistently for re-release.
We had to take a break for about 6 months or so due to some personal matters, however when we returned we began releasing episodes on Spotify, starting with as much of the back catalog as we still had access to.
The re-launch was 2/26/22, so we're coming up to the 1 year anniversary of that, which is cool.
Q) What inspired you to start?
A) I was initially inspired by a couple sources. I'm a long time fan of Hello Internet and Cortex, as well as the MTG podcast Limited Resources. After listening for years, and some ill-fated attempts, I approached Marvin with the show pitch and asked if he'd be willing to be my number 2. We both love D&D and have DMed for a long time, so we knew it was something we could chat about weekly until the death of the universe (if needed).
Q) You mentioned a love for D&D, what editions have you played and which was your favorite?
A) I started with 3.5, and played that extensively up till a bit after the release of 4th edition. I had taken a break from the game for a couple years before returning after 5e came out.
I've played a few other ttrpgs in between though.
Q) What other ttrpgs did you dabble in?
A) Star Wars Sagas Edition was a big one. I've also played in a variety of home brew systems such as the Pokemon Table Top Adventures and a superhero system a friend developed but hasn't published.
I've tried Pathfinder 2e but it's not really something I plan to play often at present.
Though it is Marvin's jam.
Q) How long have you and Marvin known each other?
A) We've been friends since High School, so 18 years or so now.
Q) Have you two recorded play between you two, or has it always been the talk show variety of podcast?
A) From the beginning we've only run the show as a conversation. There are plenty of talented Actual Play podcasts out there. We wanted to be a voice of advice for players who have yet to pick up the DM mantle themselves.
Or someone who just wants to listen to two passionate friends chat and joke for a while.
Q) Have you ever been a guest in a AP?
A) Yes actually. A had a friend who ran a short lived actual play on the Near Future Industries twitch channel, though I think the recordings are gone now.
Additionally I'm planning to guest on a one shot with the gentleman from the Stories and Sorceries podcast, which I'm pretty excited about.
Q) Let's talk about behind the scenes, what kind of mic or mics do you use? Do you have a studio to record in?
A) We're both on pretty basic set ups at present though it is on my to do list for this year. I'm recording with a headset mic. I know Marvin is on a higher quality mic but I'm not sure of the brand. Needless to say I'm a lot more passionate about d&d than audio settings haha.
Q) Do you use any specific hardware or software, like a mix board or Audacity?
A) We record the raw data with OBS and I edit the footage with Wavepad. I'll make final trims on Anchor which is the site we host on.
Q) Throughout your illustrious gaming career, what has been your favorite character you've played?
A) Man, that's a tough one. I feel like I put a piece of myself in every character I play, so it's hard to really pick one. My answer probably changes if you ask me another day but today, I'd go with Deja Lassa, my middle aged Gungan Medic that I played in a long running Sagas campaign.
If we're limiting to D&D, then probably my Necromancer Erika. She was a delight to play.
Q) If someone wanted to reach out to you to invite you to their podcast, or request to be on your show, how can they reach you?
A) The easiest way would be to reach out on the show's Twitter, I am pretty active on there.
Q) Any last words for our readers as we wrap this up?
A) Thank you so much for your interest in the show. While we haven't been at it very long, I've been overwhelmed with how kind and welcoming the community has been, especially on Twitter. In the show, we try to keep things positive. There's plenty of negativity out there if you want to find it, so we hope that when people tune in, it feels like sitting in the hobby shop, chatting with friends.
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