this podcast is genuinely one of my absolute favorite ttrpg podcasts, and my favorite MotW podcast!! the characters are amazing, the players and gm have a vast knowledge of cryptids and respect for the cultures that explore cryptozoology, and a super fun dynamic! Please listen to this if you get a chance. its a rough start, not gonna lie (i recommend listening without earbuds if possible), but the farther u progress, the more u fall in love with the characters and players. :D update: it’s been a long time since i caught up, but i highly highly recommend still. i adore the characters and storyline, even the one shots are good (i usually skip oneshots in dnd podcasts). the person who said this is a poor man’s taz amnesty should go f themselves because this is far, far from that.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t checked out the rest of the podcast and only got into the IT game, but if you are a fan of IT and felt personally victimized by the book and movies, this little game is a salve for your broken soul. It is charming and delightfully funny and has moments that genuinely hurt and made me feel for all the characters. You can feel the love and heart these players have for their characters and each other as they pour themselves into the story. Also the sound editing beautifully sets the scene and none of the sound effects feel awkward or out of place, but gently slip you into the horror of Derry. Fans of IT, I cannot recommend this little oneshot more.

Great podcast. But please stop avoiding so many dog sounds! Dogs are great and make sounds and they deserve air time on all podcasts!

I’m in episode 12 and debating about throwing in the towel. Sometimes it’s really good! But ultimately twelve episodes in and there are still way too many moments of talking while eating. I don’t get why’d you’d eat at all while recording, it’s so off putting. The quality just isn’t there to invest in 60+ episodes.

Everyone is penny wise and Ryan is Ryan thank you bye

Maybe not at first, maybe not all at once. It starts slowly, like the town of Revenant itself. Before long though, you will find yourself surrounded not simply by fantastic heartfelt and comedic storytelling, but by friends. I’m serious. The dulcet tones of Alex Flanigan, the angelic glee of Addison Peacock, the mom energy of Andrew Giotta, and the wild card play style of Tim Woerner—prepare to fall in love with all of them. And of course in recent developments there’s the confident nerd stylings of MJ, the soul-crushing dramedy of JV Hampton VanSant, and the unhinged caffeinated experience that is Val Patrone. Give it a listen. It’s worth it.

I discovered A Horror Borealis by listening to One Shot and Alex was a guest on the show, so I dipped over to check it out and I'm glad I did. I absolutely love AHB. The characters are great, the mysteries are fun, the tone is light (usually), and Alex creates a safe space for everyone to play in. But I think the thing I like most about the show is that it's not super polished and doesn't sound heavily edited. Conversations, jokes, and tomfoolery are left in, and I always find myself laughing whenever I listen. This podcast really just sounds like a group of friends sitting around the table, playing games, making jokes, and having fun. I also love how invested in the NPCs the players are, especially Addison. It helps bring the NPCs and the town to life when players buy in that much. I'm currently on Episode 52 and I can't wait to hear more.

I love AHB and I look forward to every episode! You get characters that are so precious that you want to jump into revenant and shield them from everything. Also, a completely queer space which we all need.

Feels like the poor man's TAZ Amnesty... (Very obviously inspired by the McElroy's when they use their figures of speech, jokes, and catchphrases) The audio quality wasn't the problem, it was the constant chewing and talking with their mouth full that finally made me give up. Episode two the host/gm even addressed the audio aspects of eating while recording. Their solution: soft chewy foods instead of crunchy... yeah that's a much better sound to have in my ears. Thanks. I love the oneshot network, and I wanted to love this show, but 26 episodes later... yeah. (Oh, and am I the only one who feels like the DM gets a bit judgmental about some of the decisions their players make? Certain times it feels like "oh, no, don't do that, it's dumb." and other times like "Well... you could do that, but what you should do is this..." the main exception to this impression was the "banish spirit" moment and it was my favorite. )

If you’re spoiled by shows like TAZ and Crit Role, it may feel easy to overlook this podcast. I wouldn’t recommend it though. For a few arcs it was mostly just good natured fun, something to listen to with hosts I already like, but as of these last two arcs I’ve found I’m so much more emotionally invested in this story than I ever thought I would be. I really hope this story continues to be as wonderful as it is and that the players keep enjoying the game they play and the characters they write. (The audio cues definitely felt weird at first, but I’ve really gotten used to them and enjoy them now)

Tabletop games at their core are a mechanic to help friends tell a story together. While I have never played monster of the week I am so happy it exists because of the wonderful tale these 4 friends are telling together to share with us. This podcast is an absolute joy to listen to. Buckle up, you’re in for a ride

I’ve been listening to this for about a year or so now, and I have to give the group a ton of props for their work. The characters and story have grown naturally. The DM does a great job of ensuring that the players (as people) come before the characters— I’ve heard her ask if everyone is okay with where the story is leading. It doesn’t take you out of the world; it does remind you that podcasters/ voice actors/ players are people (and hopefully your friends too!) first. I think it’s a great choice if you want a MoTW listen, and the one shot stories are extra fun!

So nice to be able to relax and listen to a podcast where you can tell that the dm likes all the players and the players are just having a good time

This podcast is amazing all around, but only gets progressively better and better each and every arc. Bottom line, get through the audio quality issues in the beginning, listen to the amazing story unfold, and hear some masterful play of this Monster of the Week campaign! My more detailed review follows: Starting from the beginning, know that the audio quality starts out relatively poor as it was recorded with a single microphone at a table with the intention of it being bonus content for patrons. Now those episodes are finding their way to the public, so make sure to keep that in mind for the first couple dozen episodes or so. They quickly learn their lessons of eating while recording or bumping the table a lot, and it's really charming to hear them realize all of this from episode to episode. Looking past the early audio quality issues, the story is so rich and intricate in such a good way. The cryptid monsters that are introduced are usually based on real-life cryptids, which is super fascinating since Alex (the Keeper/GM of this show) and Addison (one of the players of this show) also have a podcast called The Cryptid Keeper, which discusses all sorts of interesting cryptids. This knowledge translates well to a Monster of the Week campaign, and I'm super excited to see what Alex comes up with to throw at the players every arc. Speaking of which, Alex has woven a beautifully intricate story that always keeps you guessing. The prepared exposition is engrossing and the improvised scenes and dialogue are top notch. The voices Alex brings to the characters always amazes me, too! Each character is brought to life by a distinct voice, and it's rare to see Alex struggle with finding a voice for an NPC or going between multiple NPCs in a group discussion. It's a very impressive display of talent, and I love how consistent the voices have been since day one. The players, as well, are as remarkable as their characters! They help breathe life into the other side of the story that pulls you in hard. There have been multiple moments where the story (and the very real and heartfelt tears of some of the players) has brought me to tears, and it was always a lovely experience. The story and the characters are front and center, for sure, but a bit of fun table talk is left in every now and then, giving us a glimpse of each player's personality as well, which is really nice, and doesn't break up the action much at all. Once the story picks up, generally all players are on their game and stay focused to the plot, with only rare interruptions with a sick pun to help break the tension. I personally love this style of AP, so if you're looking for a fully produced AP with zero tabletalk, this isn't that (and that's ok!), but if you're looking for something that takes itself seriously, but not too seriously at times, cares about accurate pop culture references (since it takes place in 1996 in Alaska), and brings the sweet, sweet story every time, look no further than this podcast. A Horror Borealis is very well crafted and worth every minute of listening time and more.

Fun listen. Compellingly story driven.

A monster of the week actual play podcast set near the Gates of the Arctic (National Park) where the rangers have to cope with more than bears, mild mannered librarians put their book learning to good use, and the local woodswoman has psychic powers—and a dark side. I love all these characters so much and can’t wait to see what they do next!

I clicked the wrong thing and instead of starting an episode of another horror actual play I saw a list of podcasts. The art drew me in simple but with an interesting name. I read it and thought sure why not. I was expecting Call of Cthulhu at first then heard it was Monster of the Week. I’ve been looking for one. The sound quality is good at first and only gets better. Definitely a fun show. As we do on our podcast for rating things this show gets a 4.5 for the first episode but definitely raises the bar to a 5 as it continues. Fantastic job y’all keep it up!

I don’t get it. Is she eating while they are going over the characters? Who does that?? I was so annoyed in the first episode I hardly made it through it.

This is hands down the the best Monster of the Week actual play. Alex is a great GM who understands the tone she wants to set and guides the story in that direction while still allowing the players to have fun and shape their own stories. Every person on this podcast is upsettingly affable and I look forward to this more than any other actual play during the week. Also I love all of them equally but Martha a bit more equally than the others. <3

Love this show! Great characters and a really compelling story line.

I already love the Cryptid Keeper and the odd knowledge our 2 hosteses bring to the table. I really want to see what all that knowledge can translate to in the world of monster games.

I have been listening to this podcast since it was a Patreon exclusive and OH MAN are y’all in for a treat! -Alex Tully

I’m excited to hear more from Alex and Addison! I have been enjoying the Cryptid Keeper podcast since it debuted & I’m super ready to finally hear this story!