Hello friends!
Well, here we are.
Brief life update: It’s been 27 days since Mayor Quinton Lucas put a shelter-in-place order into effect for Kansas City, Missouri. We’re lucky to have a proactive mayor who genuinely cares for the safety of his community. I’ve been staying home and social distancing for 32 days, picking up what remote work I can find. Still waiting for the stimulus money to arrive, still waiting for unemployment to kick in, but feeling grateful that I’m able to stay home. There are people risking their lives every day to take care of those who are sick from COVID-19, or putting themselves at risk to make sure others have food. I feel guilty just sitting at home, but if staying in can help flatten the curve, it’s the least I can do.
Silver lining: I’m a total homebody anyway, and a benefit of being an only child introvert is that I’m really good at keeping myself occupied.
And how have I been keeping myself occupied? Mostly Dungeons & Dragons.
Yeah, Dungeons & Dragons.
Some of you might be thinking—what? D&D? Why? Isn’t that a game for nerdy teenage boys?
I mean, yes, it is, but surprise—D&D is for everyone now! In fact, I made a video that explains why. Check it out:
I started playing D&D about two years ago with a group of fellow theater artists. About the same time, I started listening to a D&D actual play podcast called The Adventure Zone, hoping it would help me catch on to the game play quicker.
The show consists of Griffin McElroy DMing for his older brothers Travis, Justin, and their father Clint. The McElroy brothers are professional podcasters/content creators/silly boys (widely known for My Brother, My Brother, and Me) who were already well-established before they started playing D&D, but The Adventure Zone quickly became one of their most popular projects.
TAZ quickly became the soundtrack to my life. On my way to work? Listening to TAZ. Cooking dinner? Listening to TAZ. In the shower? Yep. Listening to TAZ.
A picture I took while attending a sold out performance of The Adventure Zone Live, in the Chicago Theater.
Fast forward five months, and there I am, weeping as I listen to the final episode of TAZ’s Balance campaign. I had no idea four grown men, sitting around playing an old role playing game like D&D, could make for such compelling audio storytelling. To be honest, neither did they. The first leg of their campaign is not the best. It’s four men making dick jokes while they try to figure out how to play D&D. But they get better! Smarter. They become invested in their characters, because their listeners are invested. I love The McElroy brothers, and I’m not alone. There is a HUGE community out there made up of D&D actual play podcasters and their listeners.
I knew I’d found something special with the combination of D&D, and its ability to bring people together, matched with the accessibility of a podcast. Fast forward to Spellbound; An Actual Play D&D Podcast.
Podcast artwork created by Rebecca Munoz.
SPELLBOUND is a fairy tale inspired, actual play D&D podcast, featuring dungeon master Emma Carter and players Kelsea Botwinik-Hruza, Rebecca Munoz, and Lydia Miller. It follows the adventures of Delaelia, the elven ranger; Feliks, the gnome fighter (atop his goat Ramsay); and Princess Theia of Highguard, the Wild Magic sorceress.
Do I need to understand how to play D&D to enjoy this podcast?
Nope! Our main goal is to tell a story together. We’re all professional actresses and story tellers, so this is what we live for! The mechanics of the game just helps to keep things interesting. Also, one of our players is new to D&D as well, so we’ll be explaining mechanics as we go along.
Do I have to pay to listen?
Of course not! We may create a Patreon down the line, to help us improve our gear, but you don’t have to pay to listen.
After a few months of research, conversations with podcaster friends, acquiring the proper recording equipment, and creating my own homebrew world, the spell cast and I played/recorded our first session February 7, 2020 and released Episode 0 on February 21. So far, we have *six episodes available for your listening pleasure, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and our host site, Buzzsprout.
If you’re reading this blog post because you’re a fan of my work, I ask that you give Spellbound a listen, even if you’ve never played D&D. I’ve put just as much creative thought and energy into the storytelling within this podcast as I would a play. Probably more, if you count the 10+ hours I spend editing each episode. Plus, we have three badass lady players/actresses who I know you’ll absolutely adore.
So what are you waiting for? Give Spellbound a listen today! And if you like what you hear, considering leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or Facebook!