It’s A Mimic!

This week, the panel of Dungeon Masters get a sugar high and talk about the best hunters among dragonkind: White Dragons. These arctic menaces are ferocious, xenophobic monsters that use their environment to their benefit, so why are they the least-loved chromatic dragons in Dungeons & Dragons? In this episode, the DM's give these tundra tyrants the respect they deserve. SUMMARY: From frozen lakes...

The panel of Dungeon Masters tackles campaign inspiration this week. Whether you want to homebrew your campaign, beef up a module, or simple add a new flavour to your game, there are a number of ways to steal ideas for your Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. This even applies to players! SUMMARY: The DM's sit down together to look at where they get inspiration for their games and when to use different...

In this episode of It's A Mimic! the panel of Dungeon Masters covers not one, but THREE monsters that team up to make on nasty mob: the Goblinoids! What are Bugbears afraid of? Where should Hobgoblins stand in the formation? Are goblins really that stupid? The DM's break down personality quirks, tactics, and Goblinoids at high-level play! And be sure to stay tuned after the credits for a bonus rou...

We've taken the Mailbag of Holding episodes off the regular schedule and are bringing them to you as Special Bonus Content!  This episode takes another twenty random questions sent to us, and answers them as best as the panel of Dungeon Masters can. Topics range from naval combat to gender swapping to overland travel. Enjoy another episode of insanity with It's A Mimic! and make sure you listen to...

The Dungeon Masters just can't get enough of the divine casters, so they turn their eagle eyes to the Druid. But if you think you can't bear it, hold on! They don't just talk about wolfing down salads and fawning over Animal Handling! So don't get squirrelly, because the DM's ferret out some deeper meanings to the subclasses, all while swallowing their initial distaste for the class, badgering eac...

This week, the Dungeon Masters turn the conversation to Clerics and break down the different class features and the general strengths and weaknesses of everyone's favourite Dungeons and Dragons healer class. They look closely at Nature Domain, Light Domain, and Life and the unique opportunities these subclasses may offer. From the class's roleplay tropes to the holy symbols to the unique builds th...

This episode focuses on Dungeon Master preparation and the different techniques used by each member of the panel. The DM's discuss their own preparation methods for Dungeons & Dragons, the concept of agency, and which of each of the official adventures speaks to them and why, both as Dungeon Masters and as players. SUMMARY: There are many different methods when it comes to prepping, and this week...

In this episode of the It's A Mimic! Podcast, the panel of Dungeon Masters dig deep and unearth some dirt on what's going on in the Underdark. They get down to it with a look at the history and geography, the creatures that live below our feet, and what it means to be a citizen of this horribly inhospitable and oppressive setting in the D&D landscape. This should be particularly useful for anyone...

The Dungeon Masters have decided that enough is enough. It's time to talk about Dragons, specifically the D&D variety. If you think you know what a dragon is, you may be surprised by some of the details in this episode of the It's A Mimic! podcast, where the panel of DM's look into what makes a D&D dragon unique and why they're so terrifying. SUMMARY: Before it launches into dozens of episodes on...

In this episode of the It's A Mimic! podcast, the panel of Dungeon Masters tears open their random tables and digs around in the concepts found inside. Dungeons and Dragons has random encounters and random items baked right into it, and the DM's discuss out how to use them and still keep the game balanced. SUMMARY: From using random encounters to make your world feel more realistic, to using rando...

In this episode of It's A Mimic! the panel of Dungeon Masters takes a good hard look at Orc society, what makes them tick, and why they are such versatile Dungeons and Dragons villains. Both superstitious and militaristic, Orcs clearly deserve to be the subject of the first Mob Mentality episode. From player strategies to DM tactics to flavourful lore, this conversation covers a wide variety of to...

This week, the Dungeon Masters turn the conversation to Bards and break down the different class features and the general strengths and weaknesses of everyone's favourite Dungeons and Dragons minstrel class. They look closely at College of Lore, College of Valor, and College of Whispers and the unique opportunities these subclasses may offer. From the class's roleplay tropes to the spellcasting op...

EXCERPT: This week brings the first of many episodes that focus on classes and the panel of Dungeon Masters has decided to begin with Barbarians! Specifically focusing on Path of the Totem Warrior, Path of the Berserker, and Path of the Battlerager, the three DM's look at both lore and mechanics, as well as how they would use the class in creative ways. SUMMARY: At first glance the Barbarian seems...

In the first Worldbuilding episode, the Dungeon Masters do their best to stay on topic as they tear into the idea of campaign preparation from different angles.  When discussing the idea of prepping a new campaign, the panel focuses on how to get ready mentally for both homebrew campaigns and published modules, how to prep magic items and NPC's when thinking about plot hooks, and what good startin...

With the discussion about pillars of Dungeons & Dragons wrapped up, the panel of DM's decides to look into WHY people play D&D as opposed to other games.  The first broad topic is determining what defines the fantasy genre, what it makes it so attractive, and what draws the hosts to this roleplaying game, specifically the Forgotten Realms setting.  As the conversation moves to the details of Forgo...

The very first Mailbag of Holding episode hits with 20 questions rolled on random tables that the Dungeon Masters address, including their advice for DM's and players, their experiences playing, and even their personal lives.  From old school monsters to TPK's to 6th Edition, this episode has a little bit of everything and lives up to the promise that on the It's A Mimic! podcast, you never know w...

APRIL FOOLS!!!  Just as most mimics look like chests and most episodes look well-researched, this Monday looks relatively normal.  But you should know better by now, Constant Listeners. For today is the holiday made for mimics everywhere, and this panel of DM’s love giving when you least expect it.  So here’s a short, quick, special episode about how to design and create a wizard’s tower for your...

This is a more mature episode that handles sensitive subject matter as it tries to address the delicate nature of issues at the table and personality differences among players.  To wrap up the broad strokes of the final tier, the panel of Dungeon Masters covers the concepts of social contracts, Session Zero, and respect.  Other than the game mechanics and RPG flavour, what are the logistics that s...

What do you know and what does your character know, and where do those knowledge bases overlap?  The conversation this week points our Dungeon Masters toward one of the most controversial topics in the D&D community: Meta-Gaming.  They tackle the pros and cons before moving on to discuss character motivations and how they may be contrary or complementary to player motivations.  The podcast wraps b...

007 is notorious for dropping his alias at the earliest possible moment, often even going undercover with his real name, so it’s fitting that Episode 007 is the one where The Dungeon Masters tackle the idea of staying in character and turn to the final tier of play: Roleplaying.  Each of the DM’s start by discussing how they tend to build their characters when they get to be players, and then move...

In this episode, the Dungeon Masters conclude the series on Exploration by looking at their different techniques for using overland maps and analyzing each other's tactics for creating the world.  As they open up the conversation on traps and puzzles, the DM's move back and forth between the players' perspective and the Dungeon Master's, discussing their own tactics depending on which side of the...

Dungeons & Dragons is full of unique and dangerous locations, and the panel of Dungeon Masters sit down in this week’s episode to cover a wide variety of topics regarding the settings of campaigns.  From the importance of climate and weather to a whirlwind tour of the planes, the DM's travel around the landscapes and dispense their own unique takes on the worlds of Dungeons and Dragons. SUMMARY: A...

In this week’s episode of the It’s A Mimic! podcast, the Dungeon Masters leave combat tactics behind and focus on exploration and why it’s important.  The discussion topics that they cover include why exploration is important, description and narration, and engaging players with different exploratory strategies.  From mystery and the unknown, to ability checks and skill challenges, the panel cover...

The panel of Dungeon Masters concludes their preliminary look at combat, this time focusing on the tactics of creatures, both intelligent and unintelligent, as well bosses and villains.  As they break down different ways that other DM’s may use the same creatures with different motivations, they begin looking at how environments, enemy groupings, and overarching plots can inform the tactics of eac...

Continuing the conversation about combat, the panel of Dungeon Masters expand the discussion to cover more specific tips for DM's.  The main talking points in this episode tackle the differences between Theater of the Mind and using Maps and Minis, how to balance combat encounters, and whether or not to help players when things go awry. SUMMARY: All three DM's weigh in on the pros and cons of the...