Wizards of the Coast launches official Dungeons & Dragons Actual Play show

Wizards of the Coast is getting back into the Actual Play game. Today, Wizards announced via Variety that they are launching a new Actual Play show called Dungeon Masters, starring Jasmine Bhullar as the Dungeon Master along with players Mayanna Berrin, Christian Navarro, Neil Newbon and Devora Wilde. Wilde and Newbon are veterans of Baldur's Gate 3, a smash hit for the Dungeons & Dragons IP. However, both actors will be playing new characters and not their Baldur's Gate 3 characters.

Of note is that the show will feature "official, unreleased D&D content" which will be put up for sale on D&D Beyond following every episode. The first arc takes place in Ravenloft and will feature content from Ravenloft: The Horrors Within. New episodes will be released weekly on YouTube, starting on April 22nd.

Wizards of the Coast previously produced several official D&D Actual Play series, including Dice, Camera, Action and Force Grey. Dice, Camera, Action was their flagship D&D program for years until it unceremoniously ended due to a scandal involving two of its players.

 

[liteberer]

Sure. Except you chose to raise the issue. Why bring it up at all?

It's frustrating to me because I can't ever take part in a discussion about DDB without a bunch of folks chiming in to tell us that we're doing D&D wrong.

If you look at all my previous posts, I said this was a problem for ME. Not for anyone else. And I even said that I'm happy people found joy in using D&DB. I never attacked anyone for their decision.

Even the post that you initially responded to, the very first sentence I said that I'm happy for DDB users. That's the sentence you chose to ignore and act like you're being attacked

 

[AlViking]

If you look at all my previous posts, I said this was a problem for ME. Not for anyone else. And I even said that I'm happy people found joy in using D&DB. I never attacked anyone for their decision.

Even the post that you initially responded to, the very first sentence I said that I'm happy for DDB users. That's the sentence you chose to ignore and act like you're being attacked

But the horse is dead. It died a long time ago yet people insist on beating it some more and derailing thread after thread on a topic that has nothing to do with an actual play show.

 

[liteberer]

But the horse is dead. It died a long time ago yet people insist on beating it some more and derailing thread after thread on a topic that has nothing to do with an actual play show.

bro... a couple more kicks to the dead horse from you? Maybe the horse has a little more life?

 

[Mournblade94]

Then you shouldn't worry about watching actual plays. Almost zero of them are highly edited and since most run over an hour it would be impossible to be scripted.

Movies are over an hour aren't they? I have no idea why being over an hour would be hard to script. You know what your run time is going be, and the encounters.

I take back the highly edited i dont even know why i said that. Theatre isnt edited if theyre live. Theyre performing for an audience. Its the WWE of TTRPG. If I was a wrestling coach I wouldn't train the team through WWE matches. Same with teaching people games.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Movies are over an hour aren't they? I take back the highly edited i dont even know why i said that. Theatre isnt edited if theyre live.

If they're going off a script, which is most theater, the writing is edited and the play has been rehearsed multiple times and the director has almost certainly tried to keep the pace from lagging.

An unedited actual play is more akin to improv, IMO, which is why some of the best actual plays are done by people with improv training, so they can keep it moving well.

 

[Reynard]

If they're going off a script, which is most theater, the writing is edited and the play has been rehearsed multiple times and the director has almost certainly tried to keep the pace from lagging.

An unedited actual play is more akin to improv, IMO, which is why some of the best actual plays are done by people with improv training, so they can keep it moving well.

I don't think "improv" and "edited" are mutually exclusive. You could do a 3 hour improv show that a capable editor cut to an hour to give it better pacing etc.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

The amount of times I see a variation of this criticism from this forum. We get it: if you need physical ownership to feel secure, then a subscription service like DDB is not for you.

Though you don't actually need a sub for Beyond

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don't think "improv" and "edited" are mutually exclusive. You could do a 3 hour improv show that a capable editor cut to an hour to give it better pacing etc.

100%. Dimension 20 is 99% professional improv actors (the Intrepid Heroes main cast all are) and they still edit those down to make them tighter.

 

[Clint_L]

100%. Dimension 20 is 99% professional improv actors (the Intrepid Heroes main cast all are) and they still edit those down to make them tighter.

Watch Critical Role if you want unedited, but be prepared for four hour episodes. And these days, they kind of self-edit. Go back to Season One if you really want an unedited actual play experience - as in, hey, "pizza showed up! Also, I'm a bit drunk!" (I love it, but YVMV).

 

[liteberer]

Watch Critical Role if you want unedited, but be prepared for four hour episodes. And these days, they kind of self-edit. Go back to Season One if you really want an unedited actual play experience - as in, hey, "pizza showed up! Also, I'm a bit drunk!" (I love it, but YVMV).

See that, Clint! Now we are in agreement. Ironically enough, I do have a subscription to Beacon.