Dungeons & Daddies
Dungeons & Daddies is an actual play Dungeons & Dragons comedy podcast.
| Dungeons & Daddies | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Hosted by | Anthony Burch, Freddie Wong, Matt Arnold, Will Campos, and Beth May |
| Genre | Comedy, adventure, roleplaying |
| Language | English |
| Updates | Fortnightly |
| Production | |
| Production | Freddie Wong[1] |
| Opening theme | "Alright"[2] (season 1) and "On My Way"[3] (season 2) by Maxton Waller |
| Publication | |
| Original release | January 2019 |
| Provider | Acast[4] |
| Related | |
| Website | dungeonsanddaddies.com |
Description
Dungeons & Daddies is an unscripted comedy podcast done as an ongoing series of role-playing sessions loosely based on the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons.[5] It first aired in January 2019.[6]
Plot
During a trip to a soccer tournament, four suburban dads and their sons are teleported into the Forgotten Realms.[7] When their children are kidnapped, the dads begin a quest to rescue them.[8] Season two takes place 25 years later, in a post-apocalyptic version of San Dimas, California.[9] The teenage grandchildren of season one's characters are tasked with finding their fathers, who have disappeared with little explanation. The early episodes of season two loosely follow a "Monster of the Week" format.
Cast
Being an actual-play podcast, the principal cast features not only players but a gamemaster responsible for game management and the portrayal of most minor characters. This role is taken by Anthony Burch outside of special episodes. There are four other principal cast members, who play four dads in season 1, and four of those characters' grandchildren in season two. [5] Both seasons have had guest players, though not all guests have had characters with standard player classes.
| Player | Season 1 Character | Season 2 Character | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freddie Wong | Glenn Close - Human Bard (Shifter stats) | Taylor Swift - Human Ranger | [10][9] |
| Matt Arnold | Darryl Wilson - Human Barbarian (Goliath stats) | Lincoln "Link" Li-Wilson - Human Paladin | [10][9] |
| Will Campos | Henry Oak - Human Druid (Wood Elf stats) | Normal "Norm" Oak - Human Cleric | [10][9] |
| Beth May | Ron Stampler - Human Rogue (Tiefling stats) | Theresa "Scary" Marlowe - Human Warlock | [10][9] |
| Ashly Burch | Dennis Anderson - Human Rogue | - | [11] |
| Jenna Stoeber | Ratticus Finch | - | [12] |
| Jimmy Wong | Jodie Foster - Human Paladin | Jodie Foster - Demon Oathbreaker Paladin | [13] [14][15] |
| Elyse Willems | - | Erica Drippins | [16] |
Campaigns
Major and minor campaigns are listed below. Includes patreon-only campaigns as well.
| Campaign | Episodes | Game system | Game master | Release date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1: Odyssey | 68.5 (69) | D&D 5th edition | Anthony Burch | January 22, 2019 - October 19, 2021 | [10][17] |
| At The Mountains of Dadness | 3 | Call of Cthulhu | Anthony Burch | November 1, 2019 - December 3, 2019 | [18] |
| Gungans and Daddies:
All That Jizz |
3 | Edge of the Empire | Anthony Burch | March 29, 2021 - June 22, 2021 | |
| Fetch Quest | 3 | D&D 5th edition | Will Campos | November 16, 2021 - December 13, 2021 | [19] |
| Sons and Sonsability | 3 | Custom-made
(Cross between The Good Society and Marrying Mister Darcy: The Board Game) |
Anthony Burch
Amanda Shuckman[20] |
May 7, 2022 - July 3, 2022 | |
| Season 2: Quest | 42 | D&D 5th edition | Anthony Burch | January 25, 2022 - Present | [9] |
Mini-Campaign Characters
Major and minor characters from the self-contained mini-campaigns.
| Campaign | Player | Character |
|---|---|---|
| At The Mountains of
Dadness |
Freddie Wong | Meryl Streep
- Actor |
| Matt Arnold | Robert Wilson
- Line producer | |
| Will Campos | Hildy Russet
- Makeup girl / Journalist | |
| Beth May | Stuart "Stud" Stampler
- Carpenter | |
| Gungans and Daddies:
All That Jizz |
Freddie Wong | Beef Himbo
- Droid / Manager |
| Matt Arnold | Yap Yappa Yowza
- Yuzzum / Bass player | |
| Will Campos | Olp Mondez
- Human / Kloohorn player | |
| Beth May | Gurdy Vanda
- Pa'Lowick / Singer | |
| Fetch Quest | Freddie Wong | Mochi
- Cat |
| Matt Arnold | Donut
- Truck stop dog | |
| Anthony Burch | Beignet
- Influencer dog | |
| Beth May | Cookie
- Spy dog | |
| Sons and Sonsability | Freddie Wong | Fanny Mothman
- Piano player |
| Matt Arnold | Cynthia Nixon née Mothman
- Cowboy | |
| Will Campos | Eunice Mothman
- Sickly / Religious | |
| Beth May | Elizabeth Mothman
- Crazy / Dancer |
Pandemic issues
Cast member Freddie Wong said that early in the COVID pandemic, the podcast, which earns money via subscription and Patreon donations, lost a significant number of subscribers, many of whom had been laid off. However, by July 2020, the podcast had begun to regain subscribers.[21]
Reception
On the website Geekiary, Em Rowntree liked the podcast, noting that knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons was not necessary, the content was hilarious, and the technical production values were very high. Rowntree concluded, "Once you've listened to the podcast, you will feel the urge to share your love for it with others. You'll want to spread the word of its hilarity to your nearest and dearest."[6]
As of September 2023, the podcast had over 40,000 supporters on Patreon and was in the top 100 podcasts by listeners on Spotify.[22][23]
Awards
At the 2019 AudioVerse Awards, Dungeons & Daddies won the award for "New Improvised Production", and Anthony Burch won the award for "Player Direction of a New Production".[24]
References
- Nakiesha Koss (June 1, 2020). "Stepping into the Adventurous World of Podcasting with "Dungeons & Daddies"". Adobe Blog. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- "'Alright' by Maxton Waller". Bandcamp. April 10, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- "'On My Way' by Maxton Waller". Bandcamp. January 25, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- "Dungeons & Daddies". Acast. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- "Podcast/Dungeons & Daddies". TV Tropes. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
- Rowntree, Em (2020-09-30). "Dungeons and Daddies: 8 Reasons You Should Be Listening (And One Reason You Shouldn't)". Geekiary. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
- "Interview with D&D Podcast "Dungeons & Daddies"". Cosplay Realm Magazine. 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
- "Dungeons & Daddies". Dungeons & Daddies. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- "S2 Ep. 1 - Dungeon and D.A.D.D.I.E.S." Dungeons & Daddies. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- "Ep. 1 - A Man and His Handshake". Dungeons & Daddies. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- "Ep. 34 - Dedicated Involved Loving Fathers (ft. Ashly Burch)". Acast. May 26, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- @thejenna (10 November 2020). "I guest as Ratticus Finch, prosecutor and single parent to 40 beautiful mouse children, on this week's episode of @dungeonsanddads!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Ep. 48 - Carry On My Wayward Son". Acast. December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- "S2 Ep. 28 - King of the Hell". Dungeons and Daddies. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
- "S2 Ep. 29 - S.O.C.C.E.R.: Shadow Of Scorenogoal". Dungeons and Daddies. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
- "S2 Ep. 4 - Barf Bum Movie Men". dungeonsanddaddies. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- "Ep. 68, Pt. 2 - Hi "Going Home," I'm Dad!". Dungeons & Daddies. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- "At the Mountains of Dadness". Dungeons & Daddies. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- "Episodes - Dungeons & Daddies". Dungeons & Daddies. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- "Sons and Sonsability - Ep. 3 - The Time Traveler's Wife".
- "Content creators look for more fan support as brands pull back ad spending". marketplace.org. 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
- "Spotify: United States of America: Top Podcasts". Chartable. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- "Dungeons & Daddies on Patreon". Patreon. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- "2019 Audio Verse Award Winners". Audio Verse Awards. 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
