A new Dungeons & Dragons podcast is in production. It is not an actual play like Dimension20, nor is it one discussing lore and game mechanics. It is called Dungeon Masters, a scripted drama based around an infamous event of the fantasy tabletop RPG. It already has a star and a co-producer: the Emmy-winning actor Jon Hamm.
The Dungeon Masters podcast and Jon Hamm
According to an exclusive report by Deadline, Hamm has been set to star and executive produce the Dungeon Masters podcast. Hamm is a prolific talent in both film and TV. His roles include Edgar Wright's Baby Driver, and the Amazon Video adaptation of Good Omens. His most iconic role by far is as ad executive Don Draper in the historical drama, Mad Men.
As for the podcast itself, it is set in 1979 and told from the perspective of private investigator William Dear (Hamm). Dear dives into the behind-the-curtain world of Dungeons & Dragons while investigating the disappearance of Michigan State student Dallas Egbert. Egbert supposedly disappeared in the school's steam tunnels while enacting D&D in real-life.
Jon Hamm isn't the only star power attached to Dungeon Masters. Wil Wheaton has been attached as the voice of D&D co-creator Gary Gygax. Additional names include Felicia Day, Emily Axford, and Anjali Bhimani.
Those familiar with the history of Dungeons & Dragons may recall this infamous case. It became fertile ground for the Satanic Panic, an era of moral outrage for the fantasy TTRPG in the 1980s. As the name implies, it lead to various activist groups claiming the game was promoting the practice of magic and satanism.
The most notorious published work from this era was Rona Jaffe's Mazes and Monsters. The book, which was largely based on the Egbert case, depicts a sensationalist story of a group of college students who play a fantasy TTRPG. It ends with one of the leads completely losing their grip on reality. It received a film adaptation in 1982 starring Tom Hanks.
Dungeon Masters is the result of one journalist's research into Dungeons & Dragons. It was created, written, and directed by David Kushner, author of several game-related works like Rise of the Dungeon Master: Gary Gygax and the Creation of D&D and Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto.
Kushner is producing the show alongside Hamm, QCode and Temple Hill Entertainment. The podcast will debut on August 12.
