The new pre-game story of Dungeons & Dragons includes 7 podcasts being played

Last adventure of Dungeons & Dragons, Baldur's Gate: Descent In Avernus, could be the most metal thing Wizards of the Coast has ever published. To celebrate the "Mad Max in Hell" adventure, developers and publishers of the original RPG are launching an ambitious podcast series. The arc of seven episodes, called Podcast In Avernus, is produced in partnership with seven different series of real games and will serve as a prelude to the events of the published campaign.

The fun starts this week and will be available for free on both iTunes and Google. Dungeon Delve Podcast. Participating podcasts include North by Northquest, Dumbs & Dragons, How We Roll, Royal Nerd Theater, Dungeon Drunks, Red Moon RPG and Broadswords.

This is not the first time Wizards has invited the largest community of artists to help promote new products. Last year he did something similar for The enemy's tome of Mordenkainen. What makes things a little different this time around is that all these one-shot stories are interconnected. Everything revolves around Lulu, an adorable hollyphant (a miniature flying elephant with magical powers) lost in the infernal plane of Avernus.

Anyone who has tried to get five people together to play D & D every week knows how difficult it is to schedule a game. A project like this is many times more complex. We contacted podcasters and organizers Victoria Rogers and Daniel Kwan, two experienced full-fledged role-playing professionals, to find out why they even tried something like that. Our interview, done by email, has been slightly modified for clarity.

Polygon: It's a super ambitious task. How long has it lasted and what have been the biggest challenges to put in place?

Victoria Rogers: Daniel and I first discussed the idea at D & D Live 2019. We first approached Greg [Tito, senior communications manager at Wizards] with the proposal in June. The biggest challenge is to prepare something during the summer! There are many conventions in this period and do not mention holidays.

Was the content of each adventure something that you were fed by wizards? Did you propose on your side and did you get their approval? Or was it more collaborative with Dungeon Master of each podcast?

Rogers: We found the premise. We have assembled the hook, the concept and various elements of comedy. Greg then forwarded this full proposal to Chris Perkins [D&D’s principal narrative designer] who raised his thumb. We made some minor changes to the concept at their request. From there, we handed the document to the DMs of each podcast. We have created a Discord server that can function as a writing room. The deputy ministers all worked together to clarify the details. Each deputy minister was responsible for writing his own episode, based on the document we provided him.

Daniel Kwan: We actually had this idea during our recent road trip until the 2019 convention! My initial idea was to smuggle a battalion of angelic warriors to Avernus. However, we realized that this would not make the content more family friendly, so we changed it for a rescue mission. We ensured that all podcast groups had a structure that allowed them to be creative – a specific plan of the D & D cosmos that they had to go through. From there, podcasters were free to shape their stories in a unique way. The progress and overview of each episode was shared on a Discord group where everything was organized.

How did you choose these teams to participate?

Rogers: Daniel and I wanted to make sure we had a wide variety of podcasts from around the world. We wanted to highlight what people were doing outside of the United States. We are both Canadians, and that probably has something to do with that. We contacted shows that followed in their respective countries. Some participants have already participated in podcasts, but many do not.

Illustration: Tyler Jacobson / Coast Wizards

Kwan: We really did our best to make sure that the shows we selected for the miniseries reflect the community of players. For me, Asian representation in all forms of media is extremely important. So, in order to produce quality podcasts that include all listeners, it was important to launch creations reflecting the diversity of the community of players! I am especially proud to have included the Royal Nerd Theater, a Singapore D & D podcast!

How were these teams paid for their time and participation?

Rogers: We have all received the new module in advance and we all receive a large box of treats at our door. Copies of books, mugs, dice, pencils and all the good things. My friends envy my D & D collection.