Our Dark Time series continues with this conversation between Percy and ensemble member C ”Meaks” Meaker about the role of location in horror storytelling. They look at two plays and two TTRPG games/settings to examine the importance of specificity about location in how we make art in the horror genre, with a focus on the way anxiety, metaphor, and history are concretized in a story’s setting.

In the first episode of our new Dark Time series between actual-play campaigns, Nick, Percy, and ensemble member Leo Mock talk collaborative worldbuilding in TTRPGs and devising, focusing on a definition of worldbuilding as the tangible ways we shape the spaces in which we’re making theatre or playing games together. They discuss what works about effective systems of collaborative worldbuilding, what actually makes them collaborative, and how power can inhere in collaborative processes in a...

Percy and Todd sit down to chat with composer Joel B. New and TTRPG designer Jason Cordova about New’s EP, Cabot Cove, and Cordova’s game Brindlewood Bay. They talk about what inspired their respective works in conversation with Murder She Wrote, their connections to the show, and why Jessica Fletcher is a gay icon.

Our Mavens theorize just who is behind Hamlet’s murder at the local community theatre, and go on a quest to find their missing acquaintance, Teddy...

Our Mavens continue their investigation of a murder at the local community theatre, uncovering more and more clues and facing the creeping dangers of the void...

Nick and ensemble member Leo Mock chat about coziness in theatre and in TTRPGs - what makes something cozy? What’s the value of coziness? How can we embrace spookiness and the benefits of scary play in both mediums?

After a tragic death at the invited dress rehearsal for the local community theater production of Hamlet, the Mavens look around for clues, demonstrate their expertise in lighting fixtures, and try to figure out who murdered the production’s lead.

After a few weeks of downtime, the Mavens come together once again to attend an invited dress rehearsal of a high-concept community theatre production of Hamlet put on by the Brindlewood Bay Bravados, but they encounter a death that isn’t in the script...

The Murder Mavens gossip, meddle, and confront the villainous rich in the thrilling conclusion to our first Brindlewood Bay mystery: A Fried Fish Filleted! CONTENT WARNING: There is a moment of eye-related horror at the very end of the episode. Dungeons and Drama Nerds is produced by Todd Brian Backus, Percival Hornak, and Nicholas Orvis, and is mixed and edited by Anthony Sertel Dean. Season Three features contributions from Christopher Diercksen, Ben Ferber, Kory Flores, Tess Huth, Romana...

Nick sits down with the Keeper for our game of Brindlewood Bay, C. Meaks Meaker, to talk about their relationship to the horror genre, the intersection of theatre and TTRPGs in their work, and The Walking Dead!

Meet our group of Murder Mavens as they live their lives, drive corporations out of their scenic New England town, and encounter their first mystery in the first episode of our campaign of Jason Cordova’s Brindlewood Bay!

Nick, Todd, and Percy talk through the rules of Brindlewood Bay, their favorite Maven Moves, and what excites them most about the game and our upcoming campaign!

Todd interviews the cast of our Thirsty Sword Lesbians game about their experience with this game system, things they wish they could have explored further, and, of course, their OTP from the campaign!

As a treat, we’re bringing you a clip from our Patreon series of collaborator interviews, featuring Christopher Diercksen from our games of Dungeons & Dragons and Oh Dang, Bigfoot Stole My Car With My Friend’s Birthday Present Inside!

In the finale of our Thirsty Sword Lesbians game, the crew faces Kell Enterprises’ security force, experiences an unseen world, and faces off against a Toxic Power. What will happen when Nymeria comes face to face with her father’s company? Will Coney and Adelaide stay together? Can Malta Regina overcome her past? Will Ru keep their oath? Listen to find out!

Nick, Todd, and Kory sit down with April Kit Walsh, designer of Thirsty Sword Lesbians, to chat about the process of designing the game, rehearsing revolution through playing games, and upcoming projects April is working on!

Our Thirsty Sword Lesbians head towards a strange circular clearing amid the wilderness of the Untamed astride the giant beast who just moments ago was menacing their small village - what will they discover at its center?

Todd and Percy are joined by Kory Flores to talk about the longstanding link between queerness and villainy in media, queer-coded villains, and how villainy manifests in Thirsty Sword Lesbians. They conclude by asking: what makes a good villain?

Our crew of thirsty sword lesbians attempts to intervene as Adelaide’s train car speeds toward almost certain death at the hands of a giant monster - will they save her life? Can these disaster lesbians defeat the monster? Who will calm the villagers? Listen to find out!

Nick and Percy are joined by Ben Ferber and Kory Flores to talk about setting-agnostic game systems, specifically what ”setting-agnostic” tends to mean, and how that parallels with setting and adaptation in the theatre.

We join our crew of thirsty sword lesbians at a funeral in the Untamed, where they celebrate with dancing, dueling, and, uh ... megafauna?

Todd, Nick, and Percy are joined by Romana Isabella to look at queer theater in relation to queer games and how ”queer” can manifest differently in each medium. Topics include queer historiography, Oscar Wilde, Charles Ludlam, Ms. Blakk for President, and how much Willy Loman sucks.

Join our crew of Thirsty Sword Lesbians as they create characters and do some shared worldbuilding, and learn more about Gay Master Tess Huth’s mission to create the F-Boy Island of actual-play podcasts!