Of Dice & DMs

Your wish is our command! For this week's creature episode, we're talking about genies, where they come from, ways to use them in games, and of course, wishes.

For every player character, there's a thousand non-player characters, and it's up to the Game Master to bring them to life. On this week's episode, we talk about what makes people disrespect NPCs, and ways that they can be used to create a fuller sense of the imaginary worlds we explore through role-playing games.

What's D&D without levels? What method works best? Can characters get too powerful? Why won't Ben let us hit level 10? All this and more on the latest Of DIce & DMs episode!

In this serious time, the Of Dice & DMs crew take a look at some of the options available for when you're self-isolating and social distancing but still want to play D&D with your friends. We discuss the options we've tried and how we found them, the benefits and the drawbacks.

Stay safe, stay inside. Wash your hands. Check on your friends and relatives.

They're just like you, only giant! This week's monster episode was a listener request, so we look at giants in folklore and how they've been brought into D&D.

Content warning: this episode discusses torture and abuse. Our team answers a listener question about torture - why is so often used by players in roleplaying games, whether to gain information or from a character's maliciousness? We also ask can it be acceptable at the table. Of course we know the real torture is having to wait a week before the next episode, am I right?

This episode is LEGENDARY! And also mythic! Following the Wizards of the Coast announcement about Mythic Odysseys of Theros, the crew answer a listener question about mythology and folklore, and how they play a role in D&D (and worldbuilding in general). We also discuss whether religion and deities play a role in fantasy myths.

Sometimes we play roleplaying games to fight monsters and have adventures. Sometimes we play them to fulfil the fantasy of having an awesome monster as a pet who we call Fluffikins and train them to attack those who wrong us or talk too loudly in the theatre. Today we talk about what role animal companions and familiars play in D&D, and we go in depth on whether the Ranger class is broken.

Is that a g-g-g-ghost?! Strap on your proton packs and don't step in the ectoplasm as we take a look at what's really under that white sheet with a couple of holes cut in it. Whether it's spirits of the dearly departed or a "dead as hell and not gonna take it any more" chain rattler, we're talking about those classic D&D monsters, ghosts!

Have you ever wanted a smartphone in your D&D campaign? How about a microwave? Or even just a printing press? Let's face it, you probably wanted a gun - that seems to be the go to for adventurers. Today's topic is technology in D&D (and other roleplaying games) although Jeremy and Ben get sidetracked by talking about weapons.