Crit Hit The Giant | Adventures In D&D & TTRPGs

Dungeons & Dragons #1 from Dark Horse Publishing will drop on Wednesday, November 4th. I had a chance to speak with the writing team, Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing, to talk about their own history with D&D, how they landed this role, and what we can expect to see from this series.

PLEASE NOTE: This episode does contain spoilers for Issues #1 and 2. So proceed with caution!

• Dark Horse News Release
• Download and read Magefall from D&D Beyond
• Pre-order "Dungeons & Dragons"

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00:00 - Introductions

04:44 - The Team's TTRPG Experiences

18:38 - How They Got Greenlit To Write The Series

29:55 - SPOILER WARNING!!!

30:34 - Writing Mordenkainen

33:58 - Communicating Tasha's Voice With Art

39:51 - How To Tell A D&D Story In Comics

41:40 - Preview of Issue #2

47:44 - Making A Book You Can Play At Your Table

50:19 - Will There Be New Characters?

54:55 - When And Where To Get D&D #1

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GenCon of 2026 has unfortunately wrapped up. What were some of the best moments and exciting events that came out of GenCon for me? What was a bad experience? And how did I see the good of humanity over the weekend here?

LINKS

Where You Can Find Me Online | https://linktr.ee/crithitthegiant

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Intro

01:35 - My Loot And Treasures

17:28 - My Games & Events

30:42 - D&D Tower and RPG Announcements

47:47 - The Best Of Humanity

1:00:00 - Spotlight Interviews & Closing

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Neal Hoffman, CEO of FanRoll Dice, was gracious enough to talk with me about some of their current products such as Fizban's Fortune Blind Mystery Box and the Mind Flayer Inclusion Dice. We also chatted about their new deal with Marvel with their RPG dice set and alternate covers for their Secret Wars expansion book (exclusive at GenCon). We then ended the conversation talking about what people can expect to see at GenCon from FanRoll Dice.

LINKS

Fizban's Fortune Blind Mystery Box: https://www.fanrolldice.com/products/d-d-fizbans-fortune-blind-mystery-box

Mind Flayer Inclusion Dice: https://www.fanrolldice.com/products/dungeons-dragons-mindflayer-dice-set

Watch "Broken Chains", a D&D Actual Play | https://www.twitch.tv/crithitthegiant

Where You Can Find Me Online | https://linktr.ee/crithitthegiant

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Intro

00:50 - Fizban's Fortune Blind Mystery Box

05:15 - Mind Flayer Inclusion Dice

08:18 - NEW Marvel RPG Products

13:18 - Exclusive GenCon Dice Sets

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Now that the Season of Horror is in full swing, many people are playing the adventure series "Shadows Of Sithicus" at their local gaming store for D&D Encounters. The person behind the series, Shawn Merwin, was kind enough to chat with me about it.

Blog Post Version | https://crithitthegiant.com/2026/06/19/shawn-merwin-on-designing-shadows-of-sithicus-interview/

Watch "Broken Chains", a D&D Actual Play | https://www.twitch.tv/crithitthegiant

Where You Can Find Me Online | https://linktr.ee/crithitthegiant

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I had a chance to try out the first adventure in the new D&D Encounters series, "Shadows Of Sithicus". It's a lot of fun - but there are some things you should be prepared for if you plan to run this at your game store or at home.

LINKS

Blog Post Version | https://crithitthegiant.com/2026/06/10/how-to-survive-running-the-shadows-of-sithicus/

Watch "Broken Chains", a D&D Actual Play | https://www.twitch.tv/crithitthegiant

Where You Can Find Me Online | https://linktr.ee/crithitthegiant

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Season Of Horror and D&D Encounters

03:21 - Review Premade Character Sheets

08:57 - Plan For Missing Components

11:46 - Balance The Deadliness

15:46 - Review Darkvision and Darkness

17:12 - Outro

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What happens when you have a passion for geek culture and a talent in making stained glass windows? You get Geek Orthodox! I had a chance to talk to the Founder & Designer, Ian Leino, about their work, their journey, and their future.

LINKS

Blog Post Version | https://crithitthegiant.com/2026/06/05/spotlight-geek-orthodox-interview/

Watch "Broken Chains", a D&D Actual Play | https://www.twitch.tv/crithitthegiant

Where You Can Find Me Online | https://linktr.ee/crithitthegiant

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"Total Party Killers" is one of the newest Dungeons & Dragons comic book mini-series from Dark Horse and Wizards of the Coast. The writer of the series, Christopher Hastings, came by to chat about the series and his love and experiences with Dungeons & Dragons.

LINKS

• Order "Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers #1" | https://www.darkhorse.com/comics/3014-460/dungeons-dragons-total-party-killers-1/
• Blog Post Version | https://crithitthegiant.com/2026/05/29/total-party-killers-with-christopher-hastings/
• Watch "Broken Chains", a D&D Actual Play | https://www.twitch.tv/crithitthegiant
• Where You Can Find Me Online | https://linktr.ee/crithitthegiant

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If you've played Baldur's Gate 3 and you are now thinking of jumping into playing Dungeons & Dragons, you might be surprised at some of the key differences between the games. Here's what you need to know.

Blog Post Version | https://crithitthegiant.com/2026/05/08/from-baldurs-gate-to-dungeons-dragons-what-to-know-before-you-play/

Watch "Broken Chains", a D&D Actual Play | https://www.twitch.tv/dndwithdee

Where You Can Find Me Online | https://linktr.ee/crithitthegiant

00:00 - The Baldur's Gate 3 Effect

02:35 - Special Thanks & Disclaimer

03:59 - Movement, Climbing, & Jumping

05:20 - Spellcasting

07:26 - Spell Scrolls

08:19 - Magic Items

9:09 - Short & Long Rests

10:16 - Throwing Healing Potions

11:27 - Recovering From 0 Hit Points In Combat

12:50 - Leveling Up

13:56 - Outro

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After watching the premiere of "Dungeon Masters" and running the first Play Along Pack from the series, here are my thoughts about this experience.

Did you enjoy the debut of "Dungeon Masters"? What do you think of having these Play Along Packs for each episode?

Blog Post Version | https://crithitthegiant.com/2026/04/24/dungeon-masters-premiere-and-the-play-along-pack-experience/

VIDEO: I Tried Running One Of These Adventures | https://youtu.be/hfAy23JZL4U

Play Along Pack Walkthrough | https://www.youtube.com/live/jiFRgSPy-PE?si=V-tdYwjbdI4V4j0U

Watch "Broken Chains", a D&D Actual Play | https://www.twitch.tv/dndwithdee

Where You Can Find Me Online | https://linktr.ee/crithitthegiant

00:00 - Intro

01:25 - First Impressions Of "Dungeon Masters"

04:10 - Easter Eggs And... Sneak Peaks?!?

06:13 - Play Along Pack Experience

12:46 - Outro

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In the last few weeks, we got a lot of updates regarding the Season of Horror products, a new Actual Play Series from the D&D Team, and a new playtest centered around Villainous Options for players.

• "Ravenloft: The Horrors Within" products | https://marketplace.dndbeyond.com/BB-Ravenloft-WK15
• Dungeon Masters: The New D&D Actual Play | https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/2147-dungeon-masters-the-new-d-d-actual-play
• Designer Insights From Unearthed Arcana: Villainous Options | https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/2150-designer-insights-from-unearthed-arcana-villainous
• Blog Post Version | https://crithitthegiant.com/2026/04/17/from-ravenloft-to-villainous-options-a-look-at-the-latest-dd-releases/
• Watch "Broken Chains", a D&D Actual Play | https://www.twitch.tv/dndwithdee
• Where You Can Find & Support Me Online | https://linktr.ee/crithitthegiant

00:00 - Intro

01:51 - Product Options For "Ravenloft: The Horrors Within"

04:44 - The Ultimate Bundle

09:26 - Dungeon Master's Screen

11:18 - Map Pack

14:14 - Tarokka Deck

17:20 - Dungeon Masters: The New D&D Actual Play

23:40 - Unearthed Arcana: Villainous Options

46:56 - Outro

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