Radiating Gnome
Adventurer
It might not look exactly like the dream you had of becoming famous as a dungeon master. But Spencer Crittenden is on tour all this month as "Dungeon Master to the Stars." And you're not. Chew on that while you're drawing up maps for your next session….
Beginnings
Last July, Dan Harmon (Sarah Silverman Program, Community, Monster House), and Jeff Davis (Who's Line is it Anyway?) turned their weekly two-man show (nominally organized around the idea that they are creating a community for misfits, with Dan as Mayor and Jeff as Comptroller) into a podcast. The show is a beautiful mess -- equal parts deeply confessional angst and top shelf potty humor. Dan and Jeff had been doing the show for a while before they started podcasting last summer.
The fateful episode was podcast episode 5, when the conversation wandered into Dungeons and Dragons. Dan is familiar with the game (we've all seen the Community episode) but Jeff knew nothing, and they were in a comedy venue at the back of a comic book store, so it was a safe bet that they were going to be able to find someone who would come up on stage and answer a few questions about D&D.
What they got was Spencer.
DM to the Stars
Spencer quickly became the DM for the group -- and the D&D segment of the show is one of the clear favorite elements of a show that wanders though whatever else Dan and Jeff are interested in for that week. Spencer runs a fun game, has a loose hand on the rules, and gives his players space to try things out and have fun. And, as it turns out, it makes great entertainment.
The Party:
And, really, how they got these characters were named is a perfect microcosm of the show.
Sharpie Buttsalot is a gleeful callback to a embarrassing story from Dan's past that he keeps finding his way back to as he flagellates himself for laughs.
Jeff, on the other hand, in standard improv comic fashion, asked for a guy and a girl from the audience to name his character. He asked the guy to come up with a first name that suggested "gnome" to him, and the girl a last name that suggested barbarian. The guy came up with "Quark", and the girl rolled her eyes and blew out a dismissive "Pffffft." And Jeff, Yes-Anding 'til the end of time, has run with it. Bless him.
They have guest stars as well. One frequent guest character is Mulraine Sidhanna (played by Erin McGathy, Dan's girlfriend and wrangler) is a Ranger whose penchant for "Adventure!" is matched only by her dedication to trick archery.
Other friends of the show have come on as guest stars for single-episode appearances. Greg Proops appeared as the unicorn ally Tylenol with Codeine (Episodes 11 & 12), and Ryan Stiles as a halfling merchant and musketeer named Olaf (Episode 23). (Stiles and Proops are Whose Line alumni). When the tour reached New York City, Jason Sudeikis (Saturday Night Live) joined them on stage and (among other things) roleplayed an NPC opponent facing off against the party.
Spencer's Game
The game lasts for about 15 minutes per episode, and is entirely theater of the mind -- which works great both for the podcast and on stage. Spencer is using the 3.5 D&D rules ("Fourth Edition is too easy," he says) and the game has evolved from a simple smash and grab that served as a introductory adventure, into a character driven quest to reunite Sharpie with his father, Mango Buttsalot, chief of the Buttsalot tribe of barbarians.
He even deals with classic DM challenges at the table. There's serious tension between Quark and Mulraine, for instance -- an expression of apparent mostly-playful tensions between Jeff and Erin. His players drift off into non-game conversations on a regular basis. And theme music is very important.
"I've learned to not get too descriptive or concrete with room descriptions and let players use their ideas," he says. "If I say it's lit by torches and they wanted to swing on a chandelier, it wouldn't work. So I leave it open mostly. On the podcast it'd be weird to refer to maps that the audience couldn't see or other physical props so I leave them out."
The Tour
Dan and Jeff decided to take their show on the road -- a tour of a score of venues all over the country in the month of January. They're about a week into the tour as this story drops, so check their website for a show near you. Of course, very few of us have had to wait for our players to finish singing rap songs with audience members to start our game, as Spencer has. Poor guy.
As they planned the tour, it became clear to them that they couldn't leave the D&D at home. They prevailed upon Spencer, who arranged to take the month off from his day job ("counting boxes in the back of a Apple store") and joined the Harmontown road show.
So, who is this Spencer Guy, Anyway?
At first glance, he's just one of our gang. "I literally have no performance experience," he said when asked about what prepared him to play D&D on stage. "I took a speech class in college and they said I was a natural at that, and I've been writing and playing dnd since I was like 10 so DMing and playing dnd is something I'm really comfortable with. I'd like to think I keep calm and roll with the punches, and that's part of how I game, so the dynamic works really well."
"I've been playing D&D since someone brought in copy machined monster manual pamphlets from D&D 2nd edition to school in fourth grade. We probably didn't know what the hell we were doing until late in middle school (we usually played as monsters) but we've played pretty regularly until after high school."
He believes D&D and improvisational comedy are cousins, in a way. "D&D has a lot of acting and improvisation that's just part of the game. You come to a locked door, you could literally improvise a lock pick out of some wire and pick the lock. The problem solving aspects are all really similar to improv so it lends itself well to a stage show."
Maybe he's right, and it's years of DMing that prepared him to be DM to the Stars, but I think it's a little more than that. He holds is own on stage, and given the strength of the personalities he's DMing, that's not an easy thing to do.
What Does It Matter?
D&D isn't exactly mainstream. Sure, people know the name, and for better or worse Big Bang Theory may be helping people feel less uncomfortable around gamers, but it doesn't share the fun of playing with the audience. It exposes the game like an oddly shaped birthmark to get a laugh, then moves on to something else before anyone gets too much exposure.
On the other end of the spectrum are the existing "actual play" podcasts out there -- most notably the Acquisitions Incorporated sessions. They are great fun, and a good example of play, but they're long and drawn-out and daunting to a non-player curious about what it's like to play D&D.
But Harmontown -- and Spencer -- is presenting a version of D&D actual play that's accessible, entertaining as a performance, and that sounds like it would be a whole lot of fun to play. It's both incredibly true to D&D -- full of raunchy humor and players that pay occasional attention to story -- and at the same time the perfect example of the sort of fun that keeps us coming back to play the game, week after week, year after year.
It's obviously not just Spencer. It's Dan who we already laud for the Community "Dungeons and Dragons" episode, and Jeff, who had never played before but whose good humor and steady ethic keeps the show (and the game) on it's tracks. When Erin is there as part of the cast, she adds interesting tension and inter-character dynamics to the show. The other guest players add fun and spice to the game.
But while the show is Dan and Jeff's, the game is Spencer's. And he's not messing around.
Check it out
If you're in a town they're passing through on their tour, check out the show. And give the podcast a chance. Be warned -- they earn their explicit rating like gamers trashing a convention bathroom.
And if you're one of Spencer's regular players in a home game, you'd better be thinking about
Harmontown Web Site http://harmontown.com/
Tour Tickets & Dates http://harmontown.com/tickets
Podcast Link http://harmontown.com/podcast
Twitter Handles:
Beginnings
Last July, Dan Harmon (Sarah Silverman Program, Community, Monster House), and Jeff Davis (Who's Line is it Anyway?) turned their weekly two-man show (nominally organized around the idea that they are creating a community for misfits, with Dan as Mayor and Jeff as Comptroller) into a podcast. The show is a beautiful mess -- equal parts deeply confessional angst and top shelf potty humor. Dan and Jeff had been doing the show for a while before they started podcasting last summer.
The fateful episode was podcast episode 5, when the conversation wandered into Dungeons and Dragons. Dan is familiar with the game (we've all seen the Community episode) but Jeff knew nothing, and they were in a comedy venue at the back of a comic book store, so it was a safe bet that they were going to be able to find someone who would come up on stage and answer a few questions about D&D.
What they got was Spencer.
DM to the Stars
Spencer quickly became the DM for the group -- and the D&D segment of the show is one of the clear favorite elements of a show that wanders though whatever else Dan and Jeff are interested in for that week. Spencer runs a fun game, has a loose hand on the rules, and gives his players space to try things out and have fun. And, as it turns out, it makes great entertainment.
The Party:
- Sharpie Buttsalot (Dan), is the theoretical brains behind the party, slinging his trademark "Ray of Frost" and weaponized self-doubt.
- Quark Pffffft (Jeff) is a gnome barbarian, whose taste for action keeps things moving.
And, really, how they got these characters were named is a perfect microcosm of the show.
Sharpie Buttsalot is a gleeful callback to a embarrassing story from Dan's past that he keeps finding his way back to as he flagellates himself for laughs.
Jeff, on the other hand, in standard improv comic fashion, asked for a guy and a girl from the audience to name his character. He asked the guy to come up with a first name that suggested "gnome" to him, and the girl a last name that suggested barbarian. The guy came up with "Quark", and the girl rolled her eyes and blew out a dismissive "Pffffft." And Jeff, Yes-Anding 'til the end of time, has run with it. Bless him.
They have guest stars as well. One frequent guest character is Mulraine Sidhanna (played by Erin McGathy, Dan's girlfriend and wrangler) is a Ranger whose penchant for "Adventure!" is matched only by her dedication to trick archery.
Other friends of the show have come on as guest stars for single-episode appearances. Greg Proops appeared as the unicorn ally Tylenol with Codeine (Episodes 11 & 12), and Ryan Stiles as a halfling merchant and musketeer named Olaf (Episode 23). (Stiles and Proops are Whose Line alumni). When the tour reached New York City, Jason Sudeikis (Saturday Night Live) joined them on stage and (among other things) roleplayed an NPC opponent facing off against the party.
Spencer's Game
The game lasts for about 15 minutes per episode, and is entirely theater of the mind -- which works great both for the podcast and on stage. Spencer is using the 3.5 D&D rules ("Fourth Edition is too easy," he says) and the game has evolved from a simple smash and grab that served as a introductory adventure, into a character driven quest to reunite Sharpie with his father, Mango Buttsalot, chief of the Buttsalot tribe of barbarians.
He even deals with classic DM challenges at the table. There's serious tension between Quark and Mulraine, for instance -- an expression of apparent mostly-playful tensions between Jeff and Erin. His players drift off into non-game conversations on a regular basis. And theme music is very important.
"I've learned to not get too descriptive or concrete with room descriptions and let players use their ideas," he says. "If I say it's lit by torches and they wanted to swing on a chandelier, it wouldn't work. So I leave it open mostly. On the podcast it'd be weird to refer to maps that the audience couldn't see or other physical props so I leave them out."
The Tour
Dan and Jeff decided to take their show on the road -- a tour of a score of venues all over the country in the month of January. They're about a week into the tour as this story drops, so check their website for a show near you. Of course, very few of us have had to wait for our players to finish singing rap songs with audience members to start our game, as Spencer has. Poor guy.
As they planned the tour, it became clear to them that they couldn't leave the D&D at home. They prevailed upon Spencer, who arranged to take the month off from his day job ("counting boxes in the back of a Apple store") and joined the Harmontown road show.
So, who is this Spencer Guy, Anyway?
At first glance, he's just one of our gang. "I literally have no performance experience," he said when asked about what prepared him to play D&D on stage. "I took a speech class in college and they said I was a natural at that, and I've been writing and playing dnd since I was like 10 so DMing and playing dnd is something I'm really comfortable with. I'd like to think I keep calm and roll with the punches, and that's part of how I game, so the dynamic works really well."
"I've been playing D&D since someone brought in copy machined monster manual pamphlets from D&D 2nd edition to school in fourth grade. We probably didn't know what the hell we were doing until late in middle school (we usually played as monsters) but we've played pretty regularly until after high school."
He believes D&D and improvisational comedy are cousins, in a way. "D&D has a lot of acting and improvisation that's just part of the game. You come to a locked door, you could literally improvise a lock pick out of some wire and pick the lock. The problem solving aspects are all really similar to improv so it lends itself well to a stage show."
Maybe he's right, and it's years of DMing that prepared him to be DM to the Stars, but I think it's a little more than that. He holds is own on stage, and given the strength of the personalities he's DMing, that's not an easy thing to do.
What Does It Matter?
D&D isn't exactly mainstream. Sure, people know the name, and for better or worse Big Bang Theory may be helping people feel less uncomfortable around gamers, but it doesn't share the fun of playing with the audience. It exposes the game like an oddly shaped birthmark to get a laugh, then moves on to something else before anyone gets too much exposure.
On the other end of the spectrum are the existing "actual play" podcasts out there -- most notably the Acquisitions Incorporated sessions. They are great fun, and a good example of play, but they're long and drawn-out and daunting to a non-player curious about what it's like to play D&D.
But Harmontown -- and Spencer -- is presenting a version of D&D actual play that's accessible, entertaining as a performance, and that sounds like it would be a whole lot of fun to play. It's both incredibly true to D&D -- full of raunchy humor and players that pay occasional attention to story -- and at the same time the perfect example of the sort of fun that keeps us coming back to play the game, week after week, year after year.
It's obviously not just Spencer. It's Dan who we already laud for the Community "Dungeons and Dragons" episode, and Jeff, who had never played before but whose good humor and steady ethic keeps the show (and the game) on it's tracks. When Erin is there as part of the cast, she adds interesting tension and inter-character dynamics to the show. The other guest players add fun and spice to the game.
But while the show is Dan and Jeff's, the game is Spencer's. And he's not messing around.
Check it out
If you're in a town they're passing through on their tour, check out the show. And give the podcast a chance. Be warned -- they earn their explicit rating like gamers trashing a convention bathroom.
And if you're one of Spencer's regular players in a home game, you'd better be thinking about
Harmontown Web Site http://harmontown.com/
Tour Tickets & Dates http://harmontown.com/tickets
Podcast Link http://harmontown.com/podcast
Twitter Handles:
- Spencer: TheSixler https://twitter.com/Thesixler
- Dan: danharmon https://twitter.com/danharmon
- Jeff: JeffBryanDavis https://twitter.com/JeffBryanDavis
- Erin: ErinMcGathy https://twitter.com/ErinMcGathy
