I do, and always will, play role-playing games in addition to my tabletop gaming, and I think the two kinds of games are more related than not. In both games, for example, we simultaneously consider power-for-points (the best way we can wreck shop on in-game opponents) _and_ narrative (what the world is like, how we can make it more awesome, and how we might play according to theme and story, sometimes at the expense of power). I love the idea of the starter set as a way to get into the game, but I wonder how much the “pre-made everything” approach really allows for the more narrative aspects of the game.
I would love to listen to you all play some D&D, and so I would totally look forward to a podcast of a game. I would, though, be a lot more excited about it if you weren’t running a canned adventure. I agree that the pre-made adventures (what we called “modules” back in the day) are a great way for first-timers and new players to get into things, but D&D is a game about stories, and there is only so much a generic setting, plot, antagonists, etc. can do to create an interesting and engaging story for the specific and unique characters that players make. Part of the enjoyment of listening would be hearing the way that you all create a story of your own, especially because your creativity and approach to (and ideas about) the fantasy genre are already familiar to us. That might be limited with a pre-made adventure.
I agree with Nathan, for example, that the Druid can suck at lower levels when you are running in a generic module. In listening to the podcast, though, I started imagining a game session in which some of the noncombat abilities of the Druid and some of the other classes would drive the story and the action, and I think it would be a lot of fun to run and play a game like that. Also, the standard that Lange suggests (Fighter runs the show until higher level spells are available) stops working out so well in different narrative settings. In a town, where a dagger is the only allowed armament and no one wears armor, or in a faerie kingdom where all iron must be left behind unless one wants to offend the inhabitants, the Druid is all of a sudden looking very sexy.
Jaded Gamercast 
AND I have a wife! Everything is turning up Milhouse!
*Yes, AND I have a wife!
I do, and always will, play role-playing games in addition to my tabletop gaming, and I think the two kinds of games are more related than not. In both games, for example, we simultaneously consider power-for-points (the best way we can wreck shop on in-game opponents) _and_ narrative (what the world is like, how we can make it more awesome, and how we might play according to theme and story, sometimes at the expense of power). I love the idea of the starter set as a way to get into the game, but I wonder how much the “pre-made everything” approach really allows for the more narrative aspects of the game.
I would love to listen to you all play some D&D, and so I would totally look forward to a podcast of a game. I would, though, be a lot more excited about it if you weren’t running a canned adventure. I agree that the pre-made adventures (what we called “modules” back in the day) are a great way for first-timers and new players to get into things, but D&D is a game about stories, and there is only so much a generic setting, plot, antagonists, etc. can do to create an interesting and engaging story for the specific and unique characters that players make. Part of the enjoyment of listening would be hearing the way that you all create a story of your own, especially because your creativity and approach to (and ideas about) the fantasy genre are already familiar to us. That might be limited with a pre-made adventure.
I agree with Nathan, for example, that the Druid can suck at lower levels when you are running in a generic module. In listening to the podcast, though, I started imagining a game session in which some of the noncombat abilities of the Druid and some of the other classes would drive the story and the action, and I think it would be a lot of fun to run and play a game like that. Also, the standard that Lange suggests (Fighter runs the show until higher level spells are available) stops working out so well in different narrative settings. In a town, where a dagger is the only allowed armament and no one wears armor, or in a faerie kingdom where all iron must be left behind unless one wants to offend the inhabitants, the Druid is all of a sudden looking very sexy.
Oy, long post. Sorry.