Punching Dragons: A Brand New Pathfinder 2nd Edition Podcast

Every gift you give is actually two gifts. The first gift is the thing itself, the actual item, which is hopefully something the recipient needs or want. The second gift is the vetting of the item. It’s a gift of time, in other words; you’re saving the recipient valuable hours they’d otherwise spend conducting their own research to ensure they’re getting something good.

I have a gift for you.

I’ve just finished episode 10 of the Dragon Punch Squad Podcast, a show that has not yet punched an actual dragon. DPS is a “live playthrough” podcast that features Pathfinder 2nd Edition rules and the Age of Ashes Adventure Path (AP). Each episode runs an hour to an hour and a half and features a group of grown up bros playing make believe.

It plays through Age of Ashes, a story that uses the excellent Pathfinder 2nd Edition rules. The story has a fiery start that takes you right into a gripping dungeon crawl. It’s entertaining stuff.

The strength of Dragon Punch are the people, although I acknowledge I don’t fully have their names straight. I could find little else on the internet other than the episodes and that regrettably means I found no player bios. I couldn’t even find images for this article. But I’m slowly getting to know them over the course of the pod and that includes getting to know their characters as well.

I wasn’t able to find character sheets either but that extra-curricular research isn’t necessary anyway. They play their characters really well and I’m getting to know the classes, feats, abilities, etc. as the pod rolls on.

There have also been some flashbacks throughout the episodes. They’ve been roleplaying moments and teasers for more story to come.

The players are all-around great. None of them are crusty, opinionated nerds; they are enthusiasts. In fact, the tone of the pod is sunny and low drama. The table talk adds wonderful color and keeps the podcast moving at an engaging clip. There is the occasional joke that makes me grimace but that’s life.

Real-life friends, the group tease each other and is quite likable. Listen, if I’m going to spend an hour each week listing to a bunch of nerds play a game, I want to like the people and I want to like the characters. For an hour each week, DPS make good company.

My favorite is Jake, the DM. He’s skillful, has a laidback style that fosters fun, and keeps the table moving. Nothing about the pod feels rehearsed or staged. It feels natural as if you’re right there at the table with them.

They do solid voice work, particularly Jake, who voices a top-notch goblin.

I listened to the first 10 episodes of Dragon Punch so I could give you the gift of an introduction.

Dragon Punch Squad is a well-done podcast. Audio quality is good and the transitions, segments, and editing is perfect for what it is–a bunch of guys geeking out over something they love–without trying too hard or attempting to be too clever like too many podcasts do. It’s straight-forward quality.

But the X-Factor is Pathfinder 2nd Edition. Being a brand new system, the guys don’t always get the rules right but they improve as the pod goes on. And even at partial fluency, you get an earful of how great Pathfinder 2e is. The 3 action economy in particular makes for good listening.

Nerds on Earth became acquainted with the Glass Cannon Podcast from almost the beginning and we count Find the Path as a dear friend of the site. So we know Pathfinder podcasts. Dragon Punch Squad is a nice addition to the PF pod community, particularly because it reps 2nd edition so well. Give it a try.