joe m 🐀

This is the graph I see bandied about, which I only know about because I have it bookmarked for the day when I, too, someday, start listening 🤣

I would say start with whichever genre you like best--they will have a new season starting soon this year so that would be a good jumping on point! I personally started with counter/weight and I'm working my way through seasons of hieron

My personal recommendation is Marielda.

Counter/WEIGHT!

For me I feel like it is Marielda, spins off from their multiseason Heiron fantasy arc but it's pretty standalone, relatively short, very fun heist/caper an urban magicpunk sort of setting and as a bonus it is when the production values really kicked into high gear. I'm a sicko so I started on episode one of Heiron where the production was a bit rougher but at one point my phone accidentally played the then most current episode from Marielda and getting hit with Grade A Austin Walker intro monologue and the propulsive Marielda theme song (still a favourite) well it sure motivated me to catch up I tell you what.

Marielda is a great jumping off point imo! It is relatively short, and is when the audio quality got good. However, the podcast is currently on break before the next season, which is a sequel to Partizan, so you could try to listen to that one in the next few weeks to join the rest of us in the next season.

i started on marielda, but partizan and sangfielle are also good starting points. as another comment mentioned there is a new sci-fi season starting soon, however previously they've had rules not to spoil older sci-fi seasons and this is not a rule for the new one. its a direct sequel to partizan. counter/weight is also a good starting point, but be prepared that they aren't so great about gender yet and there's a lot of misgendering of a they/them player character.

I like just starting at episode 0 and going from there because I think there's value in learning what Friends at the Table is alongside the cast. However, I also support starting with Partizan because a cast member comes out as trans before Partizan starts so just listen to the seasons where she's openly a girl

IMO Sangfielle if you want a western/horror vibe, Partisan if you want gundams. I bounced off Partisan the first time I tried it, but I had an easier time after reading through the rules for Forged in the Dark for my own game.

I know they already gave an official reply, but I'll echo that PARTIZAN is a great jumping-off point. There's a lot of background in COUNTER/Weight and Twilight Mirage, but that season felt like a particular standout.

Road to PARTIZAN has one of my all-time favourite episodes (the ech0 playthrough in #5), and I'd recommend it afterwards, since I'd argue the "road to" stuff isn't ideal for getting into Friends at the Table as a whole.

If you want a super short quick snapshot of what the show can offer there is a one shot campaign for Mall Kids which is 5 eps. It's part off a larger season, but its completely self contained you don't need to know anything about anything else to enjoy it

I started with the Fall of Magic One shot they aired in late 2018 and I still think it's a good place to start. The structure is different to a main season (since it' a GMless game and all), but it's only three episodes long and therefore not as intimidating as having to pick an entire season worth of podcasts.

My personal suggestion would be COUNTER/Weight. It's their first sci-fi season, and is a reasonably short, self-contained story with very little self-reference. It's an early season, so the production quality isn't as high as later seasons, but it's at least decent throughout. It forms the basis for all their other sci-fi seasons, so while it's not essential before listening to the others (such as Partizan, which I see others suggesting), I think it'll improve the experience. It's also my personal favorite season!

If you'd prefer something in the fantasy space, I'd recommend Sangfielle, a sort of dark fantasy Western season. It's also completely self-contained, unlike their other fantasy seasons that are all in a shared universe. (I see a lot of people recommending Marielda, but I think it's too wrapped up in lore from their main fantasy series to be the best starting point.)

If you want to try it out before jumping into a full season, I'd recommend the arc "A Bowling Alley, A Boxer, and A Bird," which is a self-contained arc from the otherwise Patreon-exclusive Bluff City series that got released to the public feed a while back. I think it's a great encapsulation of the drama and humor of Friends at the Table without signing up for dozens of hours of listening.

I keep looking at this and being confused because it makes two suggestions and then says "these three". Am I missing something or is that just a typo?