Summary
Highlights
Brennan Lee Mulligan discusses his favorite D&D monsters, highlighting the mimic for its clever adaptation to adventurers and the owl bear as a beloved mascot. He then provides advice on creating compelling D&D characters, emphasizing the importance of characters wrestling with heroic problems and having something significant to lose, both physically and emotionally, to keep the gameplay engaging and sustainable.
Mulligan provocatively declares chronomancy (time control) as the greatest magic, challenging the common trope of friendship or love being the ultimate power by arguing that it unfairly implies those who fail lacked love. He then outlines the essential items needed to play D&D: friends, core rule books, pencil and paper for character sheets, and a set of dice. While miniatures are optional, he explains their utility for visualizing complex battlefields.
Brennan praises 'Stranger Things' and the recent D&D movie for accurately portraying the game as fun, social, and thrilling, acknowledging the lightheartedness that often accompanies epic fantasy at the table. He also shares his approach to character voices as a DM, advising against trying to pitch up for female characters and instead focusing on regional accents or age, admitting he often uses his regular voice for women and villains.
Mulligan breaks down the nine D&D alignments (lawful good, chaotic evil, etc.), explaining their ethical and moral axes, and notes their enduring popularity due to people's love for personality charts despite their philosophical limitations. He then clarifies the distinction between paladins and warlocks, defining paladins by their oath to an ideal and warlocks by a pact with an otherworldly entity, jokingly adding clerics to the 'sugar daddy' category due to their divine connection.
Brennan defends the 'squishiness' of wizards (low hit points) by asserting their immense power in bending reality and dominating battlefields at higher levels. He then delves into the world of D&D dice, explaining the seven types (D20, D12, D10, D8, D6, D4) found in a standard set, their common uses, and a personal disdain for the D4 due to its inconvenient shape and low damage output.
Mulligan discusses the controversial practice of Dungeon Masters 'fudging' dice rolls behind a screen, often to spare player characters from untimely deaths. He believes it's reasonable for some information to be hidden but acknowledges the temptation to alter rolls. His golden rule for D&D is to prioritize the players' experience and shared storytelling, rather than strictly adhering to rules or modules.
Brennan shares his personal favorite character race-class combos, gravitating towards paladins for their honor and smiting abilities, and wizards for their earned magical prowess. He also explains how to handle a TPK (total party kill), emphasizing proactive communication with players about the risks of a challenging encounter to give them agency in their characters' fates, making the experience less frustrating if a TPK occurs.
Mulligan explains the prevalence of starting D&D campaigns in taverns as a logical gathering place in medieval settings, suggesting it's also a homage to 'The Lord of the Rings.' He then offers crucial advice for first-time Dungeon Masters, praising the use of a 'session zero' and stressing that practical experience is the best teacher. He encourages DMs to listen to their players to understand what brings them joy.
Brennan clarifies the difference between a 'critical roll' (Nat 20 on a D20) and a 'critical hit' (automatic hit, double damage), advocating for homebrewing Nat 20s as automatic successes on skill checks to enhance player enjoyment and narrative flow. He highlights that dice rolls, even failures, are integral to storytelling, teaching DMs to embrace setbacks as drivers for heroic development.
Mulligan expresses his love for the 'Shield' spell and extols third-level spells as the most fun in D&D 5e. He then offers comprehensive advice on finding a D&D group, suggesting starting with close friends, attending game nights at local stores, or utilizing online matchmaking services like 'StartPlayingGames' to connect with DMs and fellow players.
Brennan explains the distinct preparation required for running a campaign in an established world (like Critical Role's Exandria) versus building a homebrew world from scratch. He emphasizes doing extensive reading for existing settings and more writing for original ones, finding joy in contributing to both. He also shares his favorite magical item: the immovable rod, for its chaotic potential.
Mulligan reveals his biggest D&D pet peeve: players using 'it's what my character would do' to justify antisocial actions that derail the game. He then dives into an obscure piece of D&D lore: the Planescape cosmology, particularly the city of Sigil on an infinite tower, watched over by the Lady of Pain and served by the emoji-speaking Dabus, finding its weirdness fascinating.
Brennan addresses the historical 'satanic panic' surrounding D&D, attributing it to both its fantastical elements and the manufactured outrage of the 1980s evangelical right. He then candidly discusses his own disorganized DM note-taking style, which relies heavily on improvisation rather than meticulous planning, encouraging other DMs to find a style that suits them and brings joy to their table.
Mulligan details his active play in D&D 5e and past experience with 3.5, briefly touching on his introduction to the 'crunchier' second edition. He also expands on the broader world of TTRPGs beyond D&D, recommending other games for different genre experiences. Regarding new D&D rule mechanics, he supports changes to spells like Counterspell and Divine Smite, arguing that mandatory abilities often indicate a balance issue, and advocates for Druids to be able to speak in Wild Shape for narrative benefit.
Brennan highlights the versatility of D&D, showcasing various campaign settings from high fantasy in a high school to modern New York or sci-fi. He concludes by promoting 'Dungeons and Drag Queens' as an example of welcoming new players, emphasizing that enthusiasm and investment are the most valuable traits in a new player, making the experience enjoyable for everyone.