Update: after all these years, this is still my favorite RPG podcast. Their Actual Plays are great, too! While slightly mature in nature, the HJ hosts are a ton of fun and have great input and feedback on all aspects of the RPG hobby, from different play styles to different systems to great tips and advice.

Great show with lots of useful advice, mostly for GMs but also players.

I’ve been gaming for 4+ decades mostly GMing, and listening to HappyJacks since their first season. The HJs crew is diverse and effective, ranging from newbs to harrumphing Grognards, all bringing their observations and experience in playing TTRPGs. More importantly, they bring the same to RUNNING games! Their pallet runs from the birth of RPGs in the 70’s right up through ‘It’s in Beta testing now. I wrote it." The cast is rolling with certain core members often there. They love their community and the show is based around reading questions and stories, then discussing them in detail. Have a question? Send it in! Happy Jacks is one of my top three podcasts of any type and the e been there for YEARS! Give them a listen!

I have been listening to this podcast since the first few episodes. This podcast has helped me as a GM and also in other areas of my life. The audio quality is always fantastic, and the content is the best of any RPG podcast. This podcast deserves all the best. The Happy Jacks Crew is great as are the Poxy Boggarts. I look forward to each episode and hope that they have many more successful years ahead.

A lovely group of hosts that every week talk about a wide range of important RPG topics. While they don’t focus on any one system or genre, their broad expertise and storied wisdom can help anyone improve their time around the table. P.S. Stork is my freaking hero. P.P.S. Kimi and Stu are too.

Interesting stories from around the world and advice from different backgrounds for those in the RPG Community.

It’s an enjoyable show. They now click in episodes at just over an hour which is a nice length. Primarily an email show, the audience becomes one of the features (especially the Swedes). All in all a good GMing advice podcast.

I love this show, it's just plain fun. They have a great time and enjoy each others company, just like real friends, The Game information is first rate and thoughtful, and if they do burp it's not on purpose, just a happy accident, like life, get over it.

Been listening for almost four years. Just an outstanding podcast. They discuss a variety of tabletop games, and provide entertaining advice and discussion.

I been listening to this for years. I had an interest in RPG gaming though when I first found these guys and gals I never played a game or had little idea what a Role playing game was suppose to go. They literally introduced me to this hobby. If you are new or well versed in Role play games you can’t go wrong with this podcast. They discuss everything from being a great GM (game master) to how to flesh out a character.

For the love of god ..burping in the microphone is way off the chain.

These folks drink and they know things!

Happy Jacks always provides funny yet in-depth dialogue between a diverse set people about a variety of RPGs. You want a humorous and smart set of people giving great gaming advice and news, this is it.

Great gaming advice from highly amusing humans- the ending songs are also great- The horror stories are particularly fun. So my fave RPH podcast is this one Huxxah

I stumbled across these lovable d-bags hunting down supers actual plays. Since that fateful day (thanks Masks!), I have been exposed to countless systems, heard Stu burp countless times, and finally found something I enjoy in Southern California. Give these guys a listen for heartfelt and often on topic advice on being an awesome GM and player. Actually installed iTunes just to leave this review.

This is the first podcast I listen too when a new one hits my feed. Can’t wait to listen. Very good audio quality. Could use more beer and burps though.

This podcast has provided me with so many hours of entertainment and, if I might be extra frank, quiet possibly help to move me away from the ledge of suicide. It provided me with a connection to a community and a touchstone to a hobby I had been so desperately missing in my life. Their advice is fantastic but even more so just the feeling of being at that table talking amongst friends. I made an attempt at the whole back log whole you were in season 17... made it up to season 10 by the time 19 came out and decided to save the ones in between for darker days when I might need it more. Thank you all.

Been listening for a long time. Great show! The hosts have been gaming for a long time and it shows. They also know how to have a good time and not take things too seriously.

Stu and the gang have a great presence that shows their enthusiasm for all things RPG. As they go through emails and chats it feels a lot like a morning radio show with questions to the audience and direct feedback from live chat. A few extra tangents occasionally spin out of control, though this really just adds to the “real life” table talk every game I’ve ever met has. The only drawback to the tangents that I can find is it extends the podcast out an extra 45-60 minutes and forces me to listen to each episode in small parts. After hearing a few mentions of TTRPGs I wasn’t very familiar with I am now thinking about some one-shots to run when I have more free time to help ensure our table has a slightly broader range of games.

Not enough farts.

Wonderful podcast. It could use a bit more burping though.

This is a group that makes their opinions hilarious, occasionally giving advice, and just generally being all-around cool folks. What more is there to ask for in an RPG talk show? Enjoy!

Love this show. Serious RPG discussions and funny as hell. Must listen for RPG fans.

As a long-time listener and relatively active member of the Happy Jacks community, I decided to write a review because after a two-week vacation I realized exactly how much I need this cast on a weekly basis. I'm breaking out into cold sweats. I'm pulling out my hair. I feel jumpy and anxious, my stomach is raw, and I haven't slept in four days. Stu and the gang are my happy place, my center, my balance between mercy and severity. Without their banter, sidetracks, and quips I can't face the real world. I can't work, I can't play, food has lost its flavor, music has lots its meaning, gaming is empty. But now that Friday is here, all will be right. The world is in balance. My life saved from the whispering winds of desparate dispair.

I've been listening to this podcast for years--shocked that I hadn't rated it. In any case, though I miss some of the hosts from days gone by, newer voices are equally entertaining. Always a good show. Too bad you never talk about AC, though, or crunch vs. fluff, or Gurps vs. Hero, or GM cheating, or...wait...my bad. Covered. One of the best RPG podcasts out there.

A bunch of pedantic fat-beard contrarians try to passionately argue louder than they burp about definitions nobody else cares about. 10/10 would binge again.

By the end of 2016, Happy Jacks is one of the oldest and the BEST of the RPG discussion podcasts. The four person panel rotated from large pool of hosts with listener feedback via e-mail and online chats provides a rich discussion of every RPG topic with ever changing opinions. On top of that, the elaborate ammature recording studio results professional quality recordings.

There are some great edited podcasts out there. HapyJacks leaves all the little bits of personality in, making it feel more like listening to your friends at the gaming table. The mix of people and opinions gives a good spread of information on just about any RPG topic (and some not RPG topics). They read listener emails and give good feedback to questions, which keeps the podcast grounded with the audience. Overall, well worth a listen!

Unfortunately, too many people forget that RPGs are, at their core, games. And as such, you should have fun playing them, because games are fun. And that's what you get when you listen to Happy Jacks: fun. They have fun doing the show and they have fun playing games (their actual plays are another 'cast to which you can subscribe). But you get much more than fun, too. Every single one of the hosts is very knowledgeable and insightful when it comes to RPGs and playing them. Some of the best advice I've ever heard regarding playing and running RPGs came out of this show. So give it a listen. It's a good, entertaining show.

The first few seasons were alright, when they were just bagging on 4E, but after that they started hopping from fad to fad and eventually gave up playing RPGs entirely in favor of story-oriented psuedo-RPGs like FATE and Apocalypse World. Whatever you do, do NOT follow their advice when you run an RPG! It is intended for use in FATE and Apocalypse World, and absolutely does not apply to D&D or Pathfinder or any actual RPG! Nor should you expect any RPG that you play in to resemble their descriptions in the slightest! It is recommended that you avoid this entirely, unless you want to be the pariah of your local gaming community!

This show is just a group of friends drinking and talking about how to make playing RPGs more fun. There is nothing not to like...except the belching. ;)

I LOVE this podcast, and their live shows they give a Mic to whoever is asking a question or repeat what an audience member asked, which is under appreciated in other podcasts!!! Great chemistry between the hosts and awesome topics! It's been awesome seeing this podcast grow and develop, even their various game preferences have changed and grown and it's been awesome seeing that. Worth every minute!

This is a fun show (if a little overlong) that keeps me excited about the hobby. Great gaggle of hosts!

5 minutes of genuine content, 2 hours of fluff. I don't care what is happening in the hosts personal lives. I don't care what their opinion of the latest marvel movie is. I want to hear about RPG news and how to improve my game.

Week in, week out, the Happy Jacks crew provide witty, sometimes provocative opinions and guidance for and about role playing and running role playing games. While the humor occasionally shifts all the way to the West Coast (as I am an uptight white guy writing in from central Indiana), it never seems to be hurtful in intent. Good job guys! Keep Jackin', and I'll keep listening.

I love this podcast. Found it while listening to Fear The Boot. Now, I should ding these guys a star for never reading any of my emails, but I suppose that they do get many many emails and a small little email from one dragolite isn’t up to snuff. Really, I do love this podcast and their actual play is great as well!

...but you'll stay for the microphone belching.

As a gamer and occasional GM, I love this podcast! The gaming horror stories simultaneously make me nostalgic for my previous games, introspective over my own GMing experiences looking for ways to improve, and confident that at least I'm not THAT GM. If I were to change one thing about Happy Jacks RPG Podcast--and I weren't--I would increase the belching interludes. They add a bit of humanity to the proceedings, and serve as an audible reminder that the choices we make in life come back to us; sometimes because we allow it, and sometimes completely unexpected and beyond our control. It is humbling, and makes me a better gamer. A better human. Cheers!

5/5. Would be 6/5 with more belching. No seriously, it will make you a better GM. And possibly a drunk.

This is an AMAZING podcast! The group is like every roleplaying group I have ever been a part of, the tangents, the burps, and the snafus all give it a great charm. I have been listening for the past 6 months and have caught up to the current shows. While certainly entertaining, they are also informative. The collective experience of the hosts has helped me refine not only my GM style, but also how I interact with other parties as a player. While not for the easily offended, I really can't recommend these guys enough.

If you want to elevate your game, listen to Happy Jacks. They will help you get the most out of your game time, and they are very entertaining. Highly reccomended.

I've been around the RPG podcasting realm for a while now. And after listening to Fear the Boot, RPG Academy, DM Block, Critical Hit, One Shot, Kicked in the Dicebags, and many other excellent podcasts, Happy Jacks RPG Podcast is by far my favorite. Great people sit around the table and discuss topics given to them by their listeners with the intent of helping people cultivate a fun atmosphere to have with their friends. The back and forth is real, there is no script, no putting on heirs, no 'podcast personality', just folks in California who enjoy a hobby and love using it to cultivate good times with their friends. There is swearing, there is belching, there are poop jokes, but it doesn't detract from the great advice and IN FACT; I would go so far as to say enhances my enjoyment of the show. Despite my propensity for clean entertainment, these things simply lend creedance to the honest nature of the hosts and their desire to help their listeners with great advice and an enjoyable atmosphere without being artificial. #belchesarebetter

Full of great role play game information, GM tips, player tips, game discussions, beers to try, shows to attend, cheeseburger relations, “Storking” it, dice boobing, and so much more. Keep up the great ‘cast - I started listening about 6 months ago from episode 0 and making my way through the mighty back-log, so I am only up to season 8 and it has only gotten better! -Dan Maz

There are MANY RPG related podcasts out there, you can’t possibly listen to them all. So ask yourself this: do you want to hear some useful advice related to gaming or listen to people belching over and over again into your ear? If it’s the latter than this podcast is for you… They have funny songs at the end, so just listen to the last five minutes and skip the other 2.5 hours, it’s not worth it.

This podcast is a treasure trove of gm/dm advice and wonderful gaming advice in general. It's nice to find people who are so personable and entertaining delivering these great anecdotes and awesome knowledge. P.S. Drink!

I've been a fan of the show from the beginning. Not only is the audio quality great, they give solid advice that will expand your games and they put a lot of that in action when you listen to the Actual Plays! Listen, Learn and join the production! Toast to the crew and I keep the great work flowing.

This podcast is a wonderful addition and proponent to the rpg hobby. There is plenty of potentially offensive humor in addition to talk of beer and belching and it is all wonderful. I have learned so much from this wonderful group of podcasting adventurers. Thank you to Stu and the rest of the crew. Hopefully this balances some other jackasses 1 star review!

My 24 year old daughter got me a Pathfinder Beginner box set for my birthday after I told her about my D&D days in the late 70's and early 80's. Your pod cast has help me rekindle that old GM flame and I am having a blast. Thanks!

This is one of my favorite RPG podcasts I've heard, and it's easy to listen to these d-bags for hours on end. 😃

This is a podcast that just keeps you going when there is no game to be had. I been a gaming nerd since the early 80’s so i know what I’m talking about. Listen to this podcast!!!!!!!!!