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.

 

[Zaukrie]

These posts by @JLowder are great! Thanks.

 

[SothFan]

no need to drag whoever-that-is into it

I did not force the man to make the video. He has other videos on other bad historians also.

 

[mamba]

I did not force the man to make the video. He has other videos on other bad historians also.

but you posted it here as if he is somehow more relevant to this than your opinion or mine. As far as I am concerned he isn’t. If you want to make your case, do so, I disagree with his take so he is not helping you

 

[SothFan]

The video was given as a source. I have been asked too many times for them, so I presented it up front this time.

 

[mamba]

The video was given as a source. I have been asked too many times for them, so I presented it up front this time.

source for what, that some people cannot handle criticism of Gary, however light? Yeah, I take that as evidence for that…

EDIT: lol, looks like the guy in the video is not the only one who cannot handle criticism of Gygax

 

[plecostomus]

Great characterization for the banshee in this episode. Really showing off what you can do with monsters besides having them pop out of a grave and scream at the PCs. The part where the DM says, "I feel really bad saying this, but she's not people" (about the banshee) feels so familiar to me. My players sometimes humanize monsters in ways that are almost disadvantageous to them. They are easily manipulated into believing a monster will be their friend.

I think Jasmine did a great job with the early Insight check on the banshee, when she revealed that not only is the banshee just telling the party whatever they want to hear, but that doing so is her "role". That did a good job resetting the party's trust in the banshee and ensuring they don't just take everything she says as gospel.

 

[bedir than]

Great characterization for the banshee in this episode. Really showing off what you can do with monsters besides having them pop out of a grave and scream at the PCs. The part where the DM says, "I feel really bad saying this, but she's not people" (about the banshee) feels so familiar to me. My players sometimes humanize monsters in ways that are almost disadvantageous to them. They are easily manipulated into believing a monster will be their friend.

I think Jasmine did a great job with the early Insight check on the banshee, when she revealed that not only is the banshee just telling the party whatever they want to hear, but that doing so is her "role". That did a good job resetting the party's trust in the banshee and ensuring they don't just take everything she says as gospel.

Your post did more to make me interested in the show than the trailers did

 

[SothFan]

I was just reminded. Where did the ferret go? It was there during taroka in episode 3, but forgotten in episode 4.

 

[Selas]

I think the ferret was a spell, so it went away when the duration ran out

 

[Rainbow Scissors]

I tried watching a few episodes. I think it is a neat way to advertise some products.
In the end, I feel like I am watching a commercial. I question if that is cognitive bias on my end because of lingering feelings about other aspects of what WotC is doing, but it seems like WotC is paying people to show me how to play the game in the way that they want to be able to sell it to me. If a certain expectation is impressed upon a person as the 'official' way to play, I can see that being a sales tactic. Not much different than a WotC or a Dragon Magazine article being 'official,' but I am stuck in thinking like I am trying to watch a commercial as entertainment.

The people in the show are doing good at what they are doing. I will try a few episodes again after giving my brain a break from current events of the company.