How to listen to Dungeons & Dragons
The Spinoff has partnered with the Wild Magic Tavern to present Fury of the Small, a new long-form narrative podcast told through the medium of Dungeons and Dragons. Here's how to best enjoy it.
D&D has hit the zeitgeist a fair few times in its 50 years. You may have a passing familiarity with the staples of this Tabletop Roleplaying Game thanks to either… a. living through the 80s (remember the satanic panic feat. Tom Hanks?) b. those cute kids from Stranger Things / their less cute teenage counterparts c. the criminally underwatched Guardians-of-the-Galaxy inflected film of 2023 (RIP)Over the past decade, the game of D&D has had a huge resurgence thanks to addictive game design, the rise of mega-streamers like Critical Role and – perhaps surprisingly – the Covid-19 pandemic.
Aotearoa has already stamped its mark on the tabletop scene. One of the country's most-watched YouTube channels, Viva La Dirt League, features D&D as part of its bread and butter content and many of their sketches star actors from our show. Pōneke is home to the Sketchgoblin, one of the most beloved and in-demand character artists of the global tabletop community. And filling out the constellation among the mega stars are amazing creators like Dungeons & Comediens, Dumplings & Dragons, Dice Legenz and Cobbled Together. Back in 2018 the Spinoff even dabbled in the action with Water Deep Mountain High!
If all of these words are completely foreign to you below is all you need to know to get the most out of our nerdy-as podcast as a fresh listener.
So…what is D&D?
A game and a story combined. It takes its cues from works of high fantasy, video games and long-form board games. The stories are typically action-adventures set in a fantasy world heavily inspired by the likes of JRR Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin or George R. R. Martin.
How do I know if D&D is for me?
D&D is a perfect intersection of three things; fantasy, gaming and imaginative play.
If tweenage-you binge-read the Eragon series, watched The Princess Bride on repeat or played any Legend of Zelda game to completion – D&D is probably for you.
If you love the tactical edge and social melee of Settlers of Catan, Risk or Werewolf – D&D's got something in there for you, too.
And if you (like me) miss the childhood sensation of circling up with your friends, choosing a setting, some characters and disappearing into a world of imaginative-play that felt timeless, tactile and utterly liberating – D&D is definitely for you.
Whose voices will I be listening to?
When you tune in, the first voice you'll hear is mine! I play the role of the Game Master (sometimes called a Dungeon Master). The GM is the narrator of the story, the adjudicator of the rules and the author of the adventure. I also play all the side characters of the piece. I'm here to facilitate the fun and guide the players and listeners through the narrative.
Our four amazing players (Tom Eason, Brynley Stent, Ella Hope-Higginson and Arlo Gibson) portray the protagonists of the story. They possess full autonomy of their characters' thoughts and actions and the decisions they make will determine where the story goes.
And what're you all actually doing?
We're sitting at a table in the Spinoff's podcast studio. In front of us are piles of dice and character sheets. The sheets detail each character's name, abilities, health, inventory and much more (think of it like the menu and HUD display of a video game). They've been lovingly curated by the players, who have nominated an archetype for their character to embody – a sneaky Rogue, a practiced Fighter or a magical Wizard. The dice are the stars of the show. In tabletop games, when a player's character attempts something that involves luck, skill or any chance of failure, we roll a dice to determine the outcome. Typically this is a D20, a 20-sided die that is the true arbiter of fate in Dungeons and Dragons worlds. You roll high, you succeed. You roll low, there'll be consequences. You roll a one with the D20 – dire consequences. You roll a 20, everyone at the table cheers the words 'Natural 20!' as something incredible happens.
At its simplest, the cycle of the game goes like this;
STEP ONE. The GM sets the scene with some narration.
STEP TWO. The players describe their characters' actions in the scene.
STEP THREE. Any necessary dice rolls are made.
STEP FOUR. The GM describes the outcomes of the players' actions and dice rolls.
There're some specific dice rolls to listen out for.
Checks. When a player decides to try something risky, I'll call for a Check. A character trying to discern whether the mayor is lying in his speech might need to make an Insight Check. Breaking through a door might require an Athletics Check, or recalling some esoteric lore might call for a History check. Players tumble their D20 and add a bonus to the roll. Different classes of character apply different bonuses to these checks, a squishy Wizard might have a +0 to their Athletics whereas a brawny Paladin might add a +10, for example.
Saving Throws. Sometimes the story will force the heroes to react to a sudden danger. In this case I call for a Saving Throw, where the players need to quickly save themselves from harm. A rockslide might require a Dexterity Save, a mind control spell might call for a Wisdom Saving Throw.
Attack Rolls. When words fail, we move into the cut and thrust of the game's combat system. The players fall into a fixed turn order, called The Initiative. The GM and the players start trading blows, drawing on their special abilities and working as a team. An attack has two parts, an Attack Roll (where you see if your strike connects against the target's Armour Class) and a Damage Roll (where you see how much hurt you brought).
Those are the basics! All that's left is to invite you to enjoy our story with us! Your imagination is the final ingredient in making Fury of the Small feel complete. I hope it inspires you to start your own games, to tell your own stories, to bring friends to the table. As you hear our dice tumble, as we put on our silly-voices and play serious-pretend, as you hear us laugh, gasp and holler with excitement know that there's a gaming table just like this one out there for you.
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