Wizards of the Coast debuted the first two episodes of its new actual-play series, “Dungeon Masters,” Wednesday on YouTube, adding an officially licensed offering to the growing lineup of “Dungeons & Dragons”-inspired gameplay shows on the market.
Run by “DesiQuest” and “Dimension 20” star Jasmine Bhullar, “Dungeon Masters” is produced by “D&D” rights holder Wizards of the Coast. That means Bhullar and her cast — Mayanna Berrin (“Dispatch,” “StoryQuest”), Christian Navarro (“13 Reasons Why,” “Forgotten Realms: Tears of Selune”), Neil Newbon (“Baldur’s Gate III”) and Devora Wilde (“Baldur’s Gate III”) — have the rare opportunity to say many trademarked words and phrases, including just the simple acknowledgement of Bhullar’s role as “dungeon master.”
“I feel incredibly lucky and privileged, because there are a lot of actual plays, and a lot of times you have to strip out all the licensed stuff,” Bhullar said. “But I’m such a big fan of the official settings. I love that we have all these proper nouns, and we can call everything by its right name, because we have the say-so of the big dogs upstairs. I love having access to the full cadre of NPCs and locations that have been worked on by this brilliant team. It’s just a blessing to have 50 years of lore and world-building to pull on and to be able to give it the respect it deserves. I’m constantly humbled.”
A big fan of “D&D’s” “Ravenloft” in particular, Bhullar tells Variety she “made a shriek sound” when Wizards first approached her about hosting “Dungeon Masters.” While Bhullar knew the show would be released pegged to the launch of a new “Ravenloft” campaign book, and she wouldn’t control the setting of her campaign, the story is still all her own.
“If you see me on ‘Acquisitions Incorporated’ and you see the deep cuts I make, I love ‘Greyhawk.’ I love ‘Waterdeep.’ I love ‘Baldur’s Gate.’ And I really love ‘Ravenloft,'” Bhullar said. “I’m kind of a goth spooky — I was gonna say the B-word, but I’m not gonna say it — a goth spooky witch, myself. I was so excited to put my mustard on ‘Ravenloft.’ I never felt like, because it was an official setting, I couldn’t do what I wanted to.”
Based on her reactions to some of Katie Marovitch’s out-there DM-ing choices during Dropout’s recent “Dimension 20: On a Bus” Season 2, it’s probably clear Bhullar appreciates a clear story and gameplay mechanics — something you get right away with an official D&D campaign.
“When I started DM-ing, I used the pre-written settings,” Bhullar said. “I did not immediately do my own world-building. I did my homework, for lack of a better word, and then went and started to work on my own settings. So if you see [me DM-ing] ‘Coffin Run’ on ‘Dimension 20,’ I love vampires. I love black-and-white horror. ‘Ravenloft’ is absolutely my bag. And so when they called me, I didn’t question why I was getting the call. I was like, This is it. It was like a calling to come to the church or whatever. I was like, ‘Yes, absolutely. I will run “Ravenloft” for you. And if you allow me, I will run everything else, too.'”
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