Dice Legenz, a name increasingly familiar to Geek Native readers, has announced a new weekly podcast series, Dungeon Mastering is Easy, aimed at demystifying the role of the Dungeon Master for Dungeons & Dragons.
Geek Native has previously featured the team, exploring their thoughts on whether introverts can play bards and their Bards of Aratai project. This new podcast initiative comes ahead of their upcoming Kickstarter campaign for a new 5e supplement, You Need More Orcs!
The Dungeon Mastering is Easy podcast addresses a common challenge in TTRPG groups: the perceived shortage of Dungeon Masters. Many aspiring players feel intimidated by the responsibilities of running a game, a barrier Dice Legenz hopes to dismantle by providing accessible, confidence-boosting tips. Each episode, running between 20-30 minutes, features interviews with well-known personalities from the international Dungeons & Dragons community.
The first two episodes are already available. The inaugural episode, “Designing a D&D One Shot is EASY! With AJ Pickett”, features YouTube content creator AJ Pickett, known for his extensive knowledge of D&D lore. Pickett shares insights into crafting engaging one-shot adventures, covering topics such as preparing players, structuring scenes, and using a simple four-scene plot to drive the narrative. He also introduces the concept of “in media res” for dynamic openings, citing Star Wars as a prime example.
The second episode, “Making Monsters Scary is EASY with Gnome Anne”, hosts talented D&D streamer and content creator Gnome Anne. This episode delves into techniques for heightening suspense and danger in games, discussing how to engage every sense to build anticipation, use rumours and NPC interactions to sow doubt, and even “upset the understanding of the nature of the world” to create truly frightening encounters. Gnome Anne advocates for making monsters “glass cannons” that hit hard but are vulnerable, ensuring impactful yet manageable combat.
Listeners can find the podcast on various platforms:
Following the podcast launch, Dice Legenz is preparing for the Kickstarter campaign of You Need More Orcs!, a 100+ page supplement for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. This book promises a wealth of content for Dungeon Masters and players looking to enrich their games with “fun, fierce and frightening orcs.” The supplement includes 60 original orc stat blocks, fortifications, cultural practices, social structures, plot hooks for campaigns and one-shots, name generation tables, and orc expressions. Dice Legenz has also highlighted that the project features no AI-generated art or writing, affirming a commitment to human-created content.
The Kickstarter aims for a USD$6500 goal, with an emphasis on early pledges within the first 48 hours. T
