The Wonderful World of Darklords

In which D meets the phony king of England. The in-character fiction from the episode without the in-depth out-of-character discussion of the domain. Content Advisory for D's Journal (details on content advisories can be found on  Facebook,   Tumblr , and  Patreon ) Mob violence (major), death (major), butchered corpses (major) All music recordings are in the public domain (mark 1.0) and are l...

Oo-de-lally! Oo-de-lally! Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! One year ago today, we aired our pilot: a domain ruled by a petty, vindictive lion who usurped his elder brother's throne. To celebrate our podcast anniversary, we're returning to that well with another petty, vindictive lion who usurped his elder brother's throne: Prince John. Topics discussed include: The challenges o...

In which D finally gets to eldritch blast a witch. The in-character fiction from the episode without the in-depth out-of-character discussion of the domain. All music recordings are in the public domain (mark 1.0) and are licensed through  https://musopen.org : Chopin Nocturne in B-Flat Minor, Op. 9 No.1  (main theme), performed by Eduardo Vinuela Chopin Etude Op. 25, No. 12 in C Minor: “Ocean”  (...

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! It's been almost a year, and we're celebrating by going back to where it all began: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It's gorgeous, it's groundbreaking, it's a classic fairy tale, it has that nightmare fuel transformation scene . . . but in the film as presented, there's even less of a world than Sleeping Beauty, so how can we turn i...

In which D gets a dose of cosmic horror. The in-character fiction from the episode without the in-depth out-of-character discussion of the domain. Content Advisory for D's Journal (details on content advisories can be found on  Facebook,   Tumblr , and  Patreon ) Fire (major), police violence (major), racism against a group analogous to Roma (moderate), general Frollo sexual ick (moderate), to...

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In the spirit of April Fools, we're taking a break from Disney to look at another beloved animated film (and an even more beloved book). We like to watch it. It fills us with joy. The first time we saw it, we thought we were going to die. We said to each other, we must podcast about it, all of it, all there is! For nothing makes us happy but its shining...

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In this episode, we discuss possibly the most iconic villain remaining to us: Tow Mater. Subjects discussed include: The nightmarish vision of Cars 2, Pixar's horror masterpiece, in which everyone is forced to cater to the whims of a madman no matter how outrageous and unfunny he becomes; The cosmic horror implications of a setting populated entirely by...

In which D's chaotic alignment poses a problem. The in-character fiction from the episode without the in-depth out-of-character discussion of the domain. Content Advisory for D's Journal (details on content advisories can be found on  Facebook,   Tumblr , and  Patreon ) Fire (major), police violence (major), racism against a group analogous to Roma (moderate), general Frollo sexual ick (mo...

Welcome to the second part of our Double Stuf Wonderful World of Darklords! (Frollo disapproves of this gluttonous Double Stuff debauchery, but that just encourages us.) In this episode, Tom, Rachel, and guest host Kris Newton dive into the dread possibilities and parting thoughts for this hair-sniffing hellfire hypocrite. Topics discussed include: The nigh-impossible challenge of aging this movie...

Welcome to a special two-part episode of Wonderful World of Darklords! We found ourselves completely unable to contain the discussion of Disney's most adult, complex villain in a single episode. It's not our fault (nostra culpa); we're not to blame (nostra culpa); it was the Disney film that called for our acclaim (nostra maxima culpa). Join Tom, Rachel, and semi-professional Frollo an...

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! If you haven't listened to the Princess and the Frog episode yet, please give it a listen before checking out this bonus episode, because believe it or not, there are SPOILERS! This is something of a behind-the-scenes featurette for our longtime listeners rather than a setting, adventure, or deleted scene like our previous bonus episodes. We're disc...

In which we get D's backstory! The in-character fiction from the episode without the in-depth out-of-character discussion of the domain. All music recordings are in the public domain (mark 1.0) and are licensed through  https://musopen.org : Chopin Nocturne in B-Flat Minor, Op. 9 No.1  (main theme), performed by Eduardo Vinuela Chopin Etude Op. 25, No. 12 in C Minor: “Ocean”  (darklord theme),...

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In this episode, we discuss Tom's favorite Disney movie of the neo-Renaissance, and possibly his favorite Disney movie of the entire 21st century. You're in his world now, not your world . . . but if the friends on the other side give you what you want and take what you have, rest assured that they're doing the same to Dr. Facilier, and with gre...

In which D and Yensid discover that no matter how much they dislike each other, they dislike Gaston more. The in-character fiction from the episode without the in-depth out-of-character discussion of the domain. Content Advisory (details on content advisories can be found on  Facebook,   Tumblr , and  Patreon ) Misogyny (major), sexual harassment (moderate) All music recordings are in the public d...

Mes chers mademonsieurs, it is with greatest pride and deepest pleasure that we welcome you to Wonderful World of Darklords! In this episode, we discuss one of the most gothic and atmospheric movies in the Disney canon, which asks us what makes a monster and what makes a man. No, no, not Hunchback, the tonally consistent one. (We promise Hunchback's coming, though!) Subjects discussed include:...

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords . . . IIIIIIIIIIIIN SPAAAAAAAAAAACE! We were stymied by how to actually make Treasure Planet as, y'know, Treasure Planet-- until we realized that the solution was to take the entire Demiplane of Dread and plunk it into wildspace. Learn why spacers speak in hushed tones of the dreaded Raven Nebula, which pulls in spelljammers like a black hole, never to r...

In which D goes on a treasure hunt, by t'under. The in-character fiction from the episode without the in-depth out-of-character discussion of the domain. All music recordings are in the public domain (mark 1.0) and are licensed through  https://musopen.org : Chopin Nocturne in B-Flat Minor, Op. 9 No.1  (main theme), performed by Eduardo Vinuela Chopin Etude Op. 25, No. 12 in C Minor: “Ocean” ...

Ahoy, me hearties, and welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In this episode, we be discussin' the 2002 cult classic Treasure Planet, a movie perhaps more suited to Spelljammer than Ravenloft--but we vowed to bring ye domains of dread, by t'under, and we be folk of our word. Subjects discussed include: How to put Treasure Planet back in the ocean while still makin' it feel like Trea...

In which Yensid is just plain mean. The in-character fiction from the episode without the in-depth out-of-character discussion of the domain. Content Advisory for D's Journal (details on content advisories can be found on  Facebook,   Tumblr , and  Patreon ) Bereavement (major), forced experimentation (major), body horror (moderate), cannibalism (moderate), animal death (minor) All music recor...

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Darklords! In this episode, we explore the horror of frozen lands, frozen hearts, frozen bodies, and pretty much anything else we can think to freeze (except the trolls, because they have steam vents). As a fair warning, we went with Elsa rather than Hans as our darklord because she's a much more psychologically interesting character and because icebound Arend...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! We couldn't let the most Ravenloft-y of holidays go by without a new episode, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity to touch on a classic Disney property that works beautifully as a story but has always struggled to find its place as a domain. The Horseman's Bridge has been around ever since 2e, but there's not much "there" there beyond "get to the brid...

In which D moonlights as a carnie. The in-character fiction from the episode without the in-depth out-of-character discussion of the domain. Content Advisory for D's Journal (details on content advisories can be found on  Facebook,   Tumblr , and  Patreon ) Death (major), cannibalism (moderate) All music recordings are in the public domain (mark 1.0) and are licensed through  https://musopen.o...

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In this episode, a particularly manic Rachel and a particularly indulgent Tom discuss a movie that, on the surface, seems like a perfect match for a horror game--except that they're not mean in their town of Halloween, so how can it make your PCs truly feel that it's hopeless, they're finished, and they haven't got a prayer? Subjects discuss...

In which D meets the darklord we've all been waiting for. The in-character fiction from the episode without the in-depth out-of-character discussion of the domain. Content Advisory (details on content advisories can be found on  Facebook,   Tumblr , and  Patreon ) Imprisonment (major), forced mind reading (major) All music recordings are in the public domain (mark 1.0) and are licensed through...

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In this episode, we discuss how to convert Disney's most iconic villain into a darklord. (Don't get us wrong, the wicked queen from Snow White has a case for herself, but who's on the cover of Disney Villainous and who wasn't even included until the first expansion?) While Maleficent is amazing, the setting is...less so, and we're here t...