It’s A Mimic!

Cue the creepy organ music and add some existential dread!  It's time to talk about Barovia!  In this week's episode of the It's A Mimic! podcast, the panel of DM's crack open Curse of Strahd and discuss all about the lore and story around Strahd's own personal slice of the Shadowfell.   Adam, Dan and Terry then throw bones about the new monsters available in the (arguably) best adventure path pro...

We've reached the top of the draconic mountain to finally gain wisdom from the shiniest of dragons: the gold.  Adam, Dan, and Terry take on these icons of ideals of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, breaking down the mechanics and the combat strategies before addressing the social interactions with the most rare and isolated of all dragon kind.     The panel of Dungeon Masters then digs into some ca...

When is condition not a "Condition"?  When it's something that afflicts you, but isn't listed with the standard Condition Effects in the core books.  What are we babbling about?  Well, in this episode of the It's A Mimic! podcast, Adam, Dan, and Dave get into diseases, curses, scarring and more!  Why does lycanthropy feel cheap in 5e?  Where does Lay on Hands leave your plotlines dangling?  When a...

In the first part of our discussion on Beholders, the panel of Dungeon Masters at the It's A Mimic! podcast sits down to review the (in)famous creature that is so iconic that it graces the cover of the 5th Edition Monster Manual itself.  Terry, Dave, and Adam go over not just the mechanics and battle strategies of these aberrant nightmares, but also the breakdowns and differences when it comes to...

Get out your instrument and strum it! It's time for another round of bards!  In this second episode of coverage of the marvelous minstrel, the inspirational instrumentalist, and the guy always trying to bone a dragon, Adam, Dan, and Terry attempt to shed some light onto new options presented in Xanathar's Guide to Everything for your bard's chart topper, their instrument of choice, the thing that...

Its time to get psychological with your favourite do-gooders - The Paladin.  Always prone to be those paragons of order and goodness, this weeks episode of the It's a Mimic podcast decides to do it a bit different offering up our second episode by dashing the notions of the sentinals of the selfless and displaying a little bit of fanfaronade.  We have the "holier-than-thou" mom of the group, the O...

In this week's episode, Megan, Dan, and Dave discuss the concept of half-humans in Dungeons and Dragons 5e by highlighting the "good" and the "bad" poster children of the concept.  The hosts go into the mechanics that both races bring to the table, as well as the four variants (Aquatic, Drow, Wood, and High Elves) offered up for those Half-Elven players who want a little more depending on their po...

In this week's episode, the panel of DM's are stunned to tackle another round of Condition Effects.  This time though, they are paralyzed with fear of having their agency removed with all those pesky effects that make your characters turn's go by way quicker than you had ever planned: Stunned, Paralyzed, Incapacitated and Petrified.  Adam, Dave, and Megan chat about their likes and their dislikes...

As we wrap up our discussion on The City of Towers, Dave takes Adam on a tour of the entertainment district, some religious temples, and the dangerous fringes of society.  But how effective are the law enforcement agencies in Sharn, where are the best places to avoid, and what evil lurks beneath the deepest ruins below?   Quarters: Central Plateau Dura Menthis Plateau Northedge Tavick's Landing  ...

So much of our favourite pop culture is based upon destroying the status quo, making a hair-brained scheme, and then fighting the insurmountable odds, but in D&D the hair-brained scheme is often overlooked.  So how do you offer opportunity and agency without having the session go wildly off the rails?  Adam and Dan walk you through what it means to go from storyteller to audience, and why Dungeon...

Theros is all about big personas, gifts from gods, epic monsters, and heroic journeys, and in this episode of the It's A Mimic! podcast, the titans on the panel of Dungeon Masters clash together to Gather the Magic and go on a odyssey of mythic proportions as they explore the newest campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.  But even it all seems Greek to you now, there's enough divine...

In this first half of the discussion on Sharn, City of Towers, Dave leads Adam through the basic layout of the city, and does a tour of both the richest and poorest areas of the city. Remember that the neighbourhoods are called "Quarters", each neighbourhood includes three vertical regions called "Wards", and each ward has multiple "Districts".   Quarters: Central Plateau Dura Menthis Plateau Nort...

Aha! Bet you didn't see it coming! Out of nowhere, here comes an episode on the worst kind of surprises in D&D: Betrayals! This episode sees Dan and Adam break down the why, when, and how of using effective, meaningful betrayals in your Dungeons & Dragons campaign.   Takeaways: - Some players will blame the Dungeon Master for a betrayal, and focus on the DM as the adversary. The best way to avoid...

In this week's episode, the panel of DM's goes chrome.  That's right, this is the week Dan has been waiting for as the It's A Mimic! podcast finally details Silver Dragons.  The goodest of the good, Silver Dragons cause a great divide between the hosts, and spurns on the debate about what is good and how it is allowed to affect your party.  All this while inspiring some shiny combat and social enc...

This episode rambles about the planes of Eberron nearly as much as our hosts ramble about other topics and bad jokes.  But one thing is certain: This planar landscape is very different from the Forgotten Realms' planes.  So bear with Dave and Adam as they traverse these multiple landscapes and try to find parallels and theories about why these planes exist in the ways that they do.   Planes: Danvi...

Overland travel, wilderness encounters, and chases aside, there's another common kind of activity in the wild: Scouting.  On this episode of the Campaign Builder, Dan and Adam encourage their players to get proactive and take the fight to their enemies.   Takeaways: - Scouting relies on stealth, self-sufficiency, strategy, and speed - Patrols and guards are the direct opposition to scouts.  - The...

This week, Dave and Adam get pious, faithful, and organized in another episode of Touring the Multiverse.  But, like all things in Eberron, things are not as straightforward as they seem at first.  From the appropriate use of hashtags to dirty hippy sects and a couple of happy takes on necromancy, there's something for everyone to get behind in this campaign setting!    Sovereign Host - Aureon - A...

In this week's episode, the Dungeon Masters rock out to the gale force winds and let the engulfing waves wash over them like it was the 21st night of September (Yes, thats an Earth, Wind, and Fire joke).   Thats right, this week on the It's a Mimic podcast, we're covering the biggest and baddest of all the Elementals; the Leviathan, Zaratan, and the Elder Tempest!   But don't you worry, fans of th...

Cooperative Game.  Collaborative Storytelling.  Teamwork.  On this episode of the Campaign Builder, we sit down together and shine the light on different aspects of tabletop roleplaying games that new Dungeon Masters should think about when prepping for sessions.  It's never too late to start promoting cohesion among the party members, and a lot of the time, there are things that DM's can do to he...

What does a novice Dungeon Master need to know about leveling?  How should new players think about alignment?  And how closely should a party watch their consumable items like ammo and spell components?  The panel of DM's sit down to answer these questions for this season's Instagram giveaway winner, @eeyowensdoodles!  So buckle up as Dan, Terry, and Adam have another go at these topics and each o...

In this week's episode, Adam, Dan and Megan discuss the options found in Xanathar's for the fast-fighting, fast-running, fast-drinking, fast...  Look, they're just fast.  It's the Monk.  As with every second pass-through for the classes, we cover the flavour options from XGE first, this time discussing the merits and flaws of the monastery, the token, and the master.   Next, the Dungeon Masters ta...

In this episode of Touring the Multiverse, Dave and Adam finish their discussion about Dragonmark Houses. Travel, rivalries, and the combinations of industries begin to reveal the complexities of the beloved world of Eberron!   House Cannith - The Mark of Making Humans led by three different leaders: Baron Zorlan d'Cannith in Korth Enclave, Karrnath Baron Jorlanna d'Cannith in Aundair Enclave, Aun...

Well, the party has been captured and all hope is lost... I guess the only thing left to do is... ESCAPE! In this episode of the Campaign Builder, Dan and Adam run you through the ins and outs of running a manhunt and keeping the party on the run!   Takeaways: - Applying degrees of success and failures is incredibly useful when dealing with a scenario as reliant upon skill checks as escape - Playe...

In this episode of the It's A Mimic! podcast, a very special guest star joins the panel of Dungeon Masters to break down the natural casters in Xanathar's Guide to Everything!  The funny and amazing @lilisparx teams up with Dan and Adam as we return to our conversation about Sorcerers and dig into both Shadow Magic and Storm Sorcery! Available On:  iTunes  |  Spotify  |  Podbean  |  YouTube Don’t...

In this episode of Touring the Multiverse, Dave and Adam go back and forth in a discussion about half of the Dragonmark Houses. Intrigue, plot hooks, and complex politics add a lot of flavour to the unique world of Eberron, and there's so much that this episode had to split in two... just like one of the houses!   House Medani - The Mark of Detection Half-Elves led by Baron Baron Trelib d'Medani H...