Dungeons and Daddies, Not A BDSM Podcast, But An Incredibly Entertaining and (NSFW)Rowdy Goodtime

As birthday presents go I’ve been given some great ones over the years. It doesn’t hurt that my birthday always falls around Labor Day and DragonCon, so quite frequently these gifts center around con-related hijinx and fun. Dinners at fun restaurants, photo ops with favorite celebs, autographs, books and merch all geared toward feeding my geekiness with love.

This year, my 50th Level Up Day was no different. DragonCon the weekend before—the best of friends gathered from near and far, con joy and cosplay, sing alongs and swag. Then on the big day itself, the aquarium, dinner with family and friends, more presents, and cake.

It was a really great day and I was happy to close it out at a hotel near work. One of my besties, [Hi Note!] and I planned to hang in there for several days before she had to fly home.

I figured my birthday was officially over when we left my party behind, but it turns out Note had one last gift to share. Before the day was done, her phone started playing a podcast, one she was sure I was going to love. One that her sibling [Hey, Seeb!] had introduced to her. It started out like this…..

Welcome to Dungeons and Daddies, which is not a BDSM podcast. That is very important. This is actually a D&D real-play podcast that tells the story of 4 dads from our world, who are transported into the Forgotten Realms, and their quest to rescue their lost sons.

I will admit, I was hesitant, but Note and I have been friends for twenty-plus years, during which she has introduced me to some of my favorite musical artists, TVs shows and time sinks. If she says I will like something, it gets at least a few hours to draw me in.

And boy howdy, did it ever draw me in. By the time I put her on a plane back home that Thursday I was ten eps in and Dungeons and Daddies had replaced my usual afternoon listening.

A week later, I gave up my morning radio show so I could have the Daddies twice a day, twenty five eps in. I could count on the DAndDads team to always tug at my funny bone and my heart. They might have even managed to make me cry.

Okay, as Note was quick to point out when she read over this for me, that’s a lie. They definitely made me cry. She would know, because I called her in tears, a few times. They even made me cuss and yell a couple of times. Thankfully, I was alone in my car for these outbursts.

By week four, I was consuming two or three eps a day, and that was a lucky thing. There were sixty six eps at that time. I was in love, and maybe a bit of hate, with all of it.

I was in fandom (fantastical) love with the dads—Darryl, the stay at home coach turned Barbarian; Glenn, the cover-artist rockstar Bard; Henry, the crunchy-munchy, Birkenstock-wearing Druid; and Ron, the emotionally-stunted stepfather, businessman and Rogue.

Over time, and episodes, I came to adore not just the daddies, but also the sons and the moms, and all of the incredible NPCs (Non Player Characters) created by the DM (Dungeon Master).

I fell in platonic love, too, with their portrayers: Matt Arnold, Freddie Wong, Will Campos and Beth May. With the DM, Anthony Burch, it’s more a Love/hate thing, but only because, as the DM, he’s the one who decides what bad things happen when the dice don’t roll the right way. Because, yes, just like in real D&D there are dice.

These guys (and gal) are crazy talented, crazy funny, crazy smart. They play off of and with one another beautifully, and then, when a guest actor comes in, they welcome them in like they’ve been there all along. They just gel. The story unfolds and the characters develop in play that is obviously (mostly) unscripted and flows and ebbs with the good rolls and the bad.

I was so happy to be along for the ride. Even happier to discover a wealth of bonus content available via Patreon. Yes, this podcast inspired me to join Patreon. I am proud to be a supporter of Dungeons and Daddies.

Serendipity had me finishing the last completed episode (68, part 1) the day before the final episode of season one dropped. Anthony, Glenn, and the rest of the crew promise there is more to come, and I for one Can.Not.Wait!

Tiding me over until the new season is the aforementioned Patreon content and a growing fan base producing fanart, fanfic and discussion around Daddies. I’m discovering that part of the joy of an audio based story’s fandom is the different ways we all perceive the characters based on what we did and did not hear in the story, as well as our own ideologies, personalities and emotional connections to the content and the characters.

I am especially grateful to the artists I connected with via Tumblr for allowing me to share their fanart with this article. almondcroissantsandink and shea-phillips your talent and generosity is inspiring.

Check out Dungeons And Daddies, on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Just be forewarned, this podcast is not rated ‘E’ for everyone, it is rated ‘E’ for explicit. It is safe for neither work or children.

That being said, please, even if you’re a grownup like me, that usually shies away from explicit content, give DnDads a shot. I may not have known you all for twenty years or more, but I’m pretty sure, you just might enjoy yourselves despite(or maybe because of, I’m not judging) the rating.

Happy listening!!!!