My New Favorite Thing

Like a lot of people, I got hooked on D&D shows six years ago with The Adventure Zone. It was three goofy brothers, their dad, and a game that I never expected to play going on dumb, goofy adventures that turned into grand, dramatic, dumb, goofy adventures. It was also my gateway drug into D&D (y’all got any more of them… dice?).

In that time, Dimension 20 became far and away my favorite show in the genre. Almost every season is a new story: 1980’s high school D&D, secret magical side of New York D&D, Game of Thrones meets Candyland D&D… you get it. The usual game runner, Brennan Lee Mulligan, is one of my favorite content creators around right now. For just a glimpse into why, take a look at this clip describing the invention of rock music in a fantasy world.

He’s got a new project, and I’m so psyched about it. Together with professional voice actress Erika Ishii, professional games-person Aabria Iyengar, and professional comedian Lou Wilson, Mulligan has created a new podcast called Worlds Beyond Number.

Their first story, “The Wizard, the Witch, and the Wild One,” has been described as a long-format, Studio Ghibli-inspired campaign in a world of Mulligan’s own creation. I don’t know if you need any more description than that, because I sure didn’t, but just in case, here it goes. The story follows childhood friends Suvi, an up-and-coming wizard in a magical empire with something to prove, Ame, an apprentice witch from the countryside ready to see the world, and Eursulon, a creature from the spirit world who dreams of being a knight. It also features a fox who so far has just been called “Cool Dog.”

The show is currently two episodes in, but I can already tell it’s going to be a long-runner, and I’m going to be there for every single episode. If you want to get in on the ground floor of a very cool new story, I strongly recommend this one.