PODCAST · leisure
Dungeon Master's Apprentice
by Theodore Giesen
Tips and tricks for new Dungeon Masters, including world building, roleplaying, and engaging with your players in unique and fun ways
Episodes
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99. Anime Pt 2 w João Junqueira
Finally getting around to posting this episode (a year after it was recorded)... Please enjoy John and I having another conversation about anime. Also, look out for episode 100! I will try my absolute best to make this happen sooner rather than later. We're going to have some fun clips from past...
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98. Anime Pt 1 w João Junqueira
In this episode John and I talk about anime and how it has influenced various D&D characters we have played. If you don't like anime this might not be the episode for you. We are also going to follow it up with a part 2, which could be good or bad news for you. Oh well! I won't use my airpods for...
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97. Hot Neil
This episode we are joined by DMA legend and super fan Hot Neil to talk about contractual obligations in your campaign, improvising vs planning, and Superbad-esque campaigns before we play our favourite game, XCOM 2. Oh, and thanks Newsly.
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96. In the Dark w Mike
This week (month? year?) Mike and I talk in the dark. This episode was recorded back in March so I have no idea what we talk about, so this description won't be very helpful. Looks like you guys are in the dark too. Also shoutout newsly.
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95. Baldur's Gate 3/ Our Sponsor w Mike
We talk about Baldur's Gate. But more importantly we talk about our lovely sponsor Newsly, which has done quite the pivot since we last checked in with them. Listen along as we discover the deep depths of the crypto world via Newsly. There's no point in posting the code to get Newsly premium...
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94. Party vs Party Campaign w Mike
Happy 3 years to DMA! In this episode Mike and I talk about what it would be like to run a campaign with a good party and an evil party. Though it may seem a bit complicated, we talk about the ways that it could be successfully pulled off. Look forward to updates as we test this theory. We also...
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93. Fishin' Fixation w Lexy and Mike
In this episode Lexy, Mike, and I give some life updates, talk about the campaign we're all involved in, and dive into the importance of NPCs. Should they travel with the party, should they strictly be helpful, or can they bully your players around a bit? We also do a new take on fiction fixation...
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92. At the Eleventh Hour w Neil and Mike
Having Neil back on the show was bitter-sweet; on one hand it was amazing to have him back and feed off the energy he brings, however, we only had an hour to record this episode before we had to leave for trivia. So while we would have loved to keep going, we present to you the most rushed…
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91. Lexy's First Campaign
In this episode we bring Lexy in to talk about the idea I've landed on for her first long-term campaign. After scrapping the idea from last episode I hit the drawing board again and landed on something that should be intriguing to both our new and experienced players. Lexy briefly describes what...
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90. Can't Keep Going Back to the Well w Mike
Some of the best advice for a new DM is to run what you know, whether it's sci-fi, high fantasy, or even eldritch horror. However, doing the same thing over and over can get repetitive. With a new campaign on the horizon, we sit down with Mike to talk about the creative struggles that come with...
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89. Moving w Mike Cook
In this episode Mike and I talk all things moving, both D&D related and not. Listen as we talk about Mike's recent move from an apartment to a house and how it has affected our personal life and our D&D life. New table, new seating arrangement, new commutes... all factors that contribute to the…
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88. Would You Rather/ 20 Questions w Mike Cook
On this week's episode Mike and I play a couple of silly goofy games. We start off by playing Would You Rather with questions relating to D&D and then move into playing 20 Questions (also related to D&D). Although it's more of a casual episode, you can find nuggets of solid advice sprinkled...
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87. Creating Your Own Expanded Universe w Mike Cook
Hope you didn't forget about us! But we're back again in Nova Scotia with Mike to talk about how he's taken his homebrew setting and made it feel like it belongs to both the DM and the players. We also talk about long road trips, Skyrim, and broken washing machines. As well, thank you to this...
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86. Back by Popular Demand w Lexy McConnell
Almost a month later (sorry) we're back with Lexy to talk about switching from DM to player, trying out new TTRPGs, crying during anime, and terrible British accents. As well, thank you to this week's sponsor, Newsly. Go to https://newsly.me/ and use promo code MASTER2021 to get a one month free...
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85. We Live Our Best Lives w Lexy McConnell
This week we're blessed to be joined by my girlfriend Lexy (yes, you read that right). Seeing as this probably won't be her last guest appearance, we take our time to introduce you to her history with fiction, fantasy, and D&D. We then spend most of our Fiction Fixation giving our review of the...
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84. AI Generated Characters w Hunter McIlmurray
The rise of artificial intelligence, for better or for worse, has been highly prevalent on social media as of late. While there are many ways in which it could be detrimental to artists and their livelihood, we thought it would be fairly harmless to use it to generate a character's backstory. In...
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83. Reading and Writing w Emily and Sarah
We're back with two highly anticipated guests for a destination podcast in Mexico! My sisters join me to talk about their colourful D&D characters before we go into a lengthy discussion about what we've been reading lately and our aspirations to someday sit down and write. We also talk about…
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82. The Dice Draft w Mike and Andrew
Ever wonder what the best D&D dice is but realized you didn't have an effective way to reach a conclusion? DMA has got your back! This week we're with Mike and Andrew to rank the best kind of dice through an elimination-style bracket tournament. Listen to us intensely debate, say, the difference...
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81. Monster Madness w Andrew and Mike
After a week off we're back with a special episode of DMA featuring two esteemed guests. Andrew and Mike have crafted a team of four CR 1/2 monsters to face off in a bracket-style tournament refereed by myself. Tune in to find out who becomes the ultimate winner of Monster Madness! As well, thank...
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80. Getting into Character w Mike Cook
We're back with a back-to-back appearance from Mike Cook to talk about getting invested in your characters, getting invested in other people's characters, and the benefits and joys of playing D&D on a regular basis. We also had a Fiction Fixation that may or may not have slightly diverted into a...
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79. Level 20 One-Shots with Mike Cook
One-shots are self-contained mini adventures that usually span a couple hours and typically designated for those weekends where your resident DM needs a break. One way to get the most out of these sessions is to crank up the intensity and let your players play at the highest level. This week I'm...
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78. One D&D Pt. 2 w Neil and Andrew
This episode, we're happily joined by Neil Robertson who has been in British Columbia for the past couple months with lots of fun stories to tell, and Andrew. We start this one off talking about Cyberpunk, but eventually transition into the second One D&D play-test UA which has some juicy new…
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77. Defenestration w Nathan and Dave
Defenestration is a fun little word that I found online that means to throw something or someone out the window. On this week's episode, we're joined by Nathan and Dave to talk about a session where I had to throw everything I had planned out the window and come up with an entire session on the...
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76. Edgerunners w Mike and Kevin
The simplicity of Dungeons and Dragons allows the DM to reskin character classes and races to fit almost any setting, but there are instances where it is better to just play a different TTRPG altogether. In this episode, we are joined by Kevin and Mike to discuss our favourite mechanics from...
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75. Hardcore Gamers w Luke Waterbury
Got any games? Well we do! In this episode we talk to Luke Waterbury about video games, difficulty settings, public lobbies, and how our love of gaming has ties to our love of D&D. As well, despite making a joke early on about my lack of editing, I actually put a decent amount of time into the...
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74. Four's a Party w Mike, Andrew, and Kevin
Here on Dungeon Master's Apprentice, we usually talk about... well, dungeon masters. This episode, however, Andrew, Kevin, Mike, and I talk about what it's like for the four of us to finally all be in the same party. We each take turns talking about our new characters, what inspired our…
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73. One D&D w Kevin and Andrew
The announcement of One D&D and the accompanying Unearthed Arcana has D&D fans in all sorts of polarizing debates, covering everything from breaking down new character creating mechanics to analyzing the new critical hit rules. For this very important episode, we brought on a man well-versed in…
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72. Productivity and Stupidity w Mike and Brett
You all know how much we love to goof around on DMA, and what better guest to help let that shine than Mike Cook? This episode, Brett, Mike, and myself have some in depth conversations about a session Mike DM'd for me recently, different DMing styles, Mike's interesting history with LARP, and how...
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71. Dance Party w Andrew, Luke, and Neil
We've been blessed with another new guest this week along with some old favourites. In this episode, Andrew, Luke, Neil, and I talk about character optimization, rotating DMs, and inclusion in D&D, with Maxine Nightingale sprinkled in along the way. As well, thank you to this week's sponsor,...
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70. Good Times in the Maritimes w Rachel Mulder
DMA hits the road again, this time walking all the way down the street to my (second) cousin Rachel's house to talk intros to D&D, lavender cookies, tattoos, shared heritage, learning new slang, and clutch nat 20s. As well, thank you to this week's sponsor, Newsly. Go to https://newsly.me/ and…
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69. Cyberpunks w Neil Robertson
Neil is back for a very special, once-in-a-lifetime episode 69 in which we cover every topic under the Sun, including CFL football in Nova Scotia, stealing clothes from your friends, the Cyberpunk TTRPG, one-shots, and plenty more. As well, thank you to this week's sponsor, Newsly. Go to...
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68. Good to Be Back w Mitch and Brett
After his long hiatus from the show, Mitch Hearn is back in the house (Brett is here too)! This week the lads discuss how great it is to play D&D and record podcasts in person, making real world references in your campaign, one-shots, food in Toronto, Cyberpunk, and of course a fiction fixation.…
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67. Table Manners w Neil Robertson and Brett Clark
DMA is back in our secondary studio AKA Neil and Luke's apartment, and although we couldn't book Luke (his demands were too high), we were able to get Mr. Robertson himself! Join us as we talk about pacing your campaigns, how in-depth to go into your character's backstory, trusting your DM, and…
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66. An Eventful Evening w Nathan Wentzell and Brett Clark
What better way to enjoy your Saturday night than to sit around with some pals and record a podcast about D&D? This week we're joined by two prolific guests to talk about level 20 builds, Nathan's new barbarian subclass, an upcoming campaign/ one-shot, coffee, and a great round of fiction…
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65. Ouija w Emily Giesen
You best start believin' in ghost podcasts, Miss Turner, yerr in one! This week we're back with Emily to talk about conspiracy theories, haunting encounters, and Ouija boards! In the first half we dive into the dos and don'ts of using a Ouija board before we make and use our own in the second…
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64. New Campaign Who Dis? w Brett, Nathan, and João
We got the whole squad (minus Dave) here to talk about our upcoming campaign with a specific focus on who Brett's character is, where they're from, and what got them banished from their underground civilization. We also flex our Dragon Ball Z and Naruto knowledge for this week's fiction fixation....
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63. Custom Subclasses w João Junqueira
We're back with everyone's favourite guest to discuss a brand new subclass that John and I have created for our upcoming campaign. Before we talk about our creation process, John walks us through his character's backstory and I read the opening paragraphs for my third main homebrew campaign. We...
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62. Story Time w Sarah and Emily Giesen
You wanted more Giesens? Well you got em! This week I'm joined by my two younger sisters to talk about our collective history with fantasy and improvisation, our recent D&D session, and the absolutely amazing character of Kevin the were-platypus from New Jersey. I truly cannot remember the last...
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61. The Future is Bright w Joe Bishop
In one of our best episode to date, very good friend Joe Bish joins the podcast to discuss living in a trailer, his first ever D&D character, ideas for a new podcast co-hosted by the two of us, and his worst nightmare ever. We have a lot more episodes for Dungeon Master's Apprentice planned,...
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60. Cool, Calm, and Collected w Nick Lavery
Long time listener and first time podcaster Nick Lavery joins us this week to discuss our past, present, and futures involving fiction, creativity, and channeling your artistry in a professional setting. We also talk about overcoming disappointment, Nick's intro to D&D, and the current state of…
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59. Father & Son w George Giesen
Explaining the rules and regulations of D&D to anyone who has no prior knowledge can be difficult, especially if that person is your parent, but we're going to try anyways! In this episode George and I set up the studio on a Mexican rooftop patio and talk about our shared and separate interests,...
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58. A Show About Nothing w Tom O'Leary
Our good buddy Tom is back this week for some casual chit-chat. We touch on D&D a few times throughout the episode, but we thought it would be fun to start a conversation and see where it took us. Throughout we talk about writing to different kinds of music, the classic summer vs winter debate…
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57. Character Crafting w Brett Clark
Brett is back in the "studio" this week to discuss what kind of character he'll be playing for our upcoming campaign. Listen as we talk about subterranean gnome societies, our character naming strategies, figuring out voices, and making selections out of our comfort zones. We also dig through a…
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56. Back in the Workshop w João Junqueira
In this week's episode, we chat with our good pal John about our upcoming campaign. First, we sort of set the scene for what this world is going to look like before diving into the character that John is going to be playing. We also talk about making your table more inclusive, the new Pokémon…
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55. Helter-Skelter w Justin Dudtschak
After a bit of a hiatus, DMA is back with highly esteemed guest Justin Dudtschak for some cousinly chitchat that is all over the map. In this episode, Justin and I talk about the genre of adventure fiction and how it has evolved from world exploration to intergalactic sci-fi exploration. Also, we...
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54. World Building Pt. 4 w Nathan Wentzell
In the fourth installation of the World Building saga, Nathan and I discuss what our new campaign is going to look like. We've sidelined the Maze campaign for now in favour of a much more interesting idea, and we can't wait to get it started. We also talk about a recent reincarnation in our…
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53. Expressing Creativity w Tom O'Leary
As you know, we're big advocates for creativity here on DMA, so who better to talk to about the creative process than singer/ songwriter/ good friend Tom O'Leary? In this episode, Tom and I talk about collaboration and improvisation in both music and D&D and how much fun it is to sit around with...
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52. The Beauty of Randomness w Luke Waterbury, Neil Robertson, and Brett Clark
What is it about D&D that separates itself from all other forms of storytelling? Is it the collaboration, the improvisation, or the randomness of the dice? This week, we're with Luke, Neil, and Brett to discuss how D&D is unlike any other narrative structure. We also discuss board games…
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51. Ordem Paranormal RPG w João Junqueira
It's been too long since we've talked to John, which is why we had to bring him back for this week's show. In this episode, John talks about a Brazilian RPG he's been very fixated on called Ordem Paranormal that he plans on teaching to myself and our friends. Listen in as he walks through the...
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50. From One DM to Another w Matt Laforest & Brett Clark
For this very special 50th episode, we've brought on a new friend, Matt, to talk about his experience as a DM. Oh, and I guess Brett is here too... We start off with some dice breakers to get to know one another a bit better before diving into some DM topics, such as handling parties of 8+…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Dungeon Master's Apprentice have?
Dungeon Master's Apprentice currently has 98 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Dungeon Master's Apprentice about?
Tips and tricks for new Dungeon Masters, including world building, roleplaying, and engaging with your players in unique and fun ways
How often does Dungeon Master's Apprentice release new episodes?
Dungeon Master's Apprentice has 98 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Dungeon Master's Apprentice?
You can listen to Dungeon Master's Apprentice on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Dungeon Master's Apprentice?
Dungeon Master's Apprentice is created and hosted by Theodore Giesen.
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