Community Spotlight: Galactic Public Radio

Available in the Sith Empire as "Radio Free Korriban".

Welcome to another installment of a recurring feature on Thrown Gauntlet, the Community Spotlight. Each week I'll be looking at a site that supports the Star Wars: The Old Republic community, be it a blog, podcast, information database, or otherwise. My hope is to point people to other websites they may also enjoy and to bring the SW:TOR fan community closer together. 

Galactic Public Radio is currently my podcast hub of choice (though I do obviously listen to others as well), and you owe it to yourself to check it out. They have a number of programs which I listen to regularly. I'd like to go into detail a bit on each of them, and why you'd be interested in listening to them.

Consider yourself educated.

All Classes Considered is a fun and informative show hosted by the fantastic Porter Williams. Each week he focuses on a new Advanced Class, going over all the skill trees while highlighting the class's key ideas and concepts.

Even if the ACC Episode this week is about the class you play, I recommend you tune in. There is a strong chance you will still learn something. And, if it's a class you don't play, you're guaranteed to get a good idea of how another class plays. It could help you decide to play that class, or it may just give you insight in to how best to counter that class in PvP.

I was given the opportunity to help with the Juggernaut episode which came out last week, and it was a lot of fun. 

Porter himself does a fair amount of prep before the show, too. The resulting discussion is engaging enough to come back to week after week.

Porter is also looking for class experts (most recently a Shadow, Sentinel, Guardian or Sage expert), so if you think you're cut out for this, please lend him your voice and your talent!

All the news that's fit to... holobroadcast, I guess.

Talk of the Galaxy is GPR's weekly news podcast, bringing you up to speed on the happenings in the galaxy over the previous seven days. The program has the news of the week, but it also has a weekly discussion topic. Even if I don't always agree with 100% of the opinions expressed, it always gets me thinking - and that's the point. It's an enjoyable listen.

One thing I really like about the program is their "Around the Community" feature, which features blogs and fansites from the SW:TOR community. I've found a lot of new and interesting blogs and podcasts this way. Obviously, since this article is a Community Spotlight, I believe very much in highlighting the work of others. I hope they continue to include this and maybe even spend more time on it in the future!

It probably won't, but don't let that stop you from trying.

Wait...wait... The Force will tell me is formatted like a game show, and is a lot of fun to listen to. The show normally has a guest from somewhere in the SW:TOR community (this week it was Stephen Reid, Senior Community Manager, and is definitely worth a listen. Stephen Reid never disappoints, except apparently when being quizzed about Punch-Out!). Questions are answered and fun is poked at the loser.

This is a great podcast to listen to to unwind. The guys are all really funny and the questions are well thought out. It's more of a casual, fun listen.


Other shows:


There are other shows on GPR which seem to have fallen inactive for the moment. Having said that, you can actually submit a segment to GPR. If you have a great idea, go to their website and submit it!


To Conclude:


So there you have it: Galactic Public Radio! You can listen to these podcasts on their website, or you can subscribe via iTunes or RSS. If you like the show you've listened to, I recommend voting for it on iTunes. This data is important for the success of their show!


Have a website you think I should look at, or that you think should be in the spotlight? Let me know at throwngauntlet@gmail.com, or contact me on my Twitter account, @ThrownGauntlet. I'm always looking for new blogs, resources and fansites to review!

Community Spotlight: Taugrim's MMO Blog

He knows his stuff, and he's happy to share it with you.

Welcome to another installment of a recurring feature on Thrown Gauntlet, the Community Spotlight. Each week I'll be looking at a site that supports the Star Wars: The Old Republic community, be it a blog, podcast, information database, or otherwise. My hope is to point people to other websites they may also enjoy and to bring the SW:TOR blogging community closer together. 

I debated holding off on spotlighting Taugrim's MMO Blog because, quite honestly, most SWTOR players (and MMO players, even) have at the very least heard of him. In the end, I figured that if there was a chance that I could introduce someone to his material, the post would be worth it.

Even (or perhaps especially) if you're new to PvP, you should check out his site. The information is valuable to both newcomers and veterans alike.

Taugrim exemplifies what is, for me, the spirit of community in PvP. I truly hope that this trend becomes the norm for the PvP community generally. He is trying to help those around him by informing them. He explains mechanics and answers questions from readers or those watching his stream. He promotes and encourages discussion about changes. He stays away from elitism and responds patiently to inquiries. In his own words:

That is what my Guides are all about: helping gamers raise their gameplay and learning from and with them in the process 

Basically, he's doing an immense service to the PvP community of whatever game he is involved in at the time.

His style is a far cry from many who PvP. We've all seen those other PvP videos - filled with 3 second snippets of massive crits set to overly-loud music. You know, the ones that don't teach you anything. Taugrim turns this formula on its head, normally streaming himself queuing for warzones alone, explaining what's happening as he plays, and answering questions between warzones. I always try to catch his stream when it's up, because I actually learn something about the class and spec he's playing.

In addition to his stream and explanatory videos, Taugrim maintains a series of guides for different PvP topics. These guides are always informative and well-researched, and you should check them out. He also often posts about design choices and recent PvP changes, which normally make for an excellent discussion.

On top of all of this, Taugrim still finds the time to co-host two different shows on Gamebreaker.tv.

So check him out! He has tons of great stuff, and I guarantee you'll learn something.


Have a website you think I should look at, or that you think should be in the spotlight? Let me know at throwngauntlet@gmail.com, or contact me on my Twitter account, @ThrownGauntlet. I'm always looking for new blogs, resources and fansites to review!

Community Spotlight: Trooper Commando

That uniform is only regulation on Hutta. Maybe not even on Hutta, actually.

This is the first installment of what will be a recurring feature on Thrown Gauntlet. Each week I'll be looking at a site that supports the Star Wars: The Old Republic community, be it a blog, podcast, information database, or otherwise. My hope is to point people to other websites they may also enjoy and to bring the SW:TOR blogging community closer together.


Trooper Commando bills itself as "your guide to SWTOR end-game", and it is exactly that. There are many things that I enjoy about the site, but let me highlight a few for you.

• The boss fight videos. Not only are they clear and easy to watch (check them out here), you get something in their accompanying article that I very much value, having led raids in the past: the 5-second recap. These guides are invaluable and I definitely recommend you take a look!

Every raid leader has done this, but usually you don't have it written down in front of you and it sounds a lot less coherent.

• Timeliness of information. Accomp, the site's admin, is part of a raiding guild which recently was selected for guild testing on the PTS. This meant that he was able to provide guides to Explosive Conflict, the new raid, based on testing he had done with his guild. Having the information on Day 1 that the patch goes live makes the site an invaluable resource.
• Dedication to improvement. Accomp is continually seeking ways to improve the site, asking for feedback and encouraging discussion. He's always willing to take feedback and integrate that into the site.

• Contests! Accomp has a promotion going on right now where you could win a code for a Taun Fawn pet for doing nothing more than being a member and being active on the Trooper Commando website. Go check it out!

In summary - Trooper Commando is already a great resource for Operations guides and commentary, and should only improve. I highly recommend you check out the site for yourself and that you follow Accomp's twitter account, @troopercommando.

Have a website you think I should look at, or that you think should be in the spotlight? Let me know at throwngauntlet@gmail.com, or let me know on my Twitter account, @ThrownGauntlet. I'm always looking for new blogs, resources and fansites to review!