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Episode 25: Tron13 Aug 202402:08:44

Greetings, programs, and welcome to the third and final installment of Wonderful World of Darklords' Summer Blockbuster series! "Blockbuster" is a strong word for both Tron and Tron: Legacy, but they're cult classics that busted blocks in the hearts of many (including Tom). That said, while CLU is one of those Disney villains who needs very little work to become a darklord, the Grid needs a whole lot of work to become a domain in a computer-free fantasy setting. Topics discussed include:

  • wait, Tron? Really? How does that work?
  • whether and how to include the ISOs, who add a complicated extra layer to the domain but also are a delicious part of CLU's torment;
  • additional setting elements to make the Grid a more fully realized and fleshed-out domain for gameplay, drawing from Tron: Uprising, Tron: Evolution, and the horrifyingly titled choose-your-own-adventure novel Tron: Legacy: It's Your Call: Initiate Sequence;
  • adapting D&D mechanics to the aesthetics of Tron, from "how to use a cool disk when I'm a sword guy" to "what's going on with those special user powers the Flynns use;"
  • and more!


The full writeup for the Grid is available on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/486304/The-Grid-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770

Much like with Toy Story, Tom wrote an adventure for the Grid! As always with these longer adventures, a caveat: while our DM's Guild writeups for domains are free and always will be, adventures are a LOT more work and DM's Guild doesn't give us the option of "no, no, it's free for regular podcast listeners but everyone else has to pay." HOWEVER, just like with Sleepy Hollow, the Raven Nebula, and Toy Story, we have a coupon code to get our listeners the adventure for 99 cents instead of $1.99 until the end of September. (And if you join our Patreon, you can get access to a free link!) Check out the discounted link here: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?discount=950be42e9f

The 2e Shadow Rift adventure is also available on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/17482/The-Shadow-Rift-2e?term=the+shadow+rift

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 24: Pirates of the Caribbean13 Jul 202402:13:26

Welcome to the second installment of the Wonderful World of Darklords Summer Blockbuster series! In this episode, we're going to look at the only movies in our series that actually busted blocks: the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. (Mostly the original trilogy, but we'll touch on 4 and 5). Topics discussed include:

  • Which of the MANY candidates for darklord we settled on, plus AU discussions about the other possibilities (including potential torments, how to make the domain reflect them, and the type of adventure you can run with them, if you're wondering why this episode passed our usual 2:10 ceiling);
  • The highly gameable hallmarks of a Pirates of the Caribbean adventure (credit to Ryan George's Pitch Meeting series), which you can use to make your own sessions feel appropriately Pirate-y;
  • Trade wars between the East India Trading Company and the Boritsi Trading Company, both of which are constantly beset by pirates, and WHY ARE WE NOT PLAYING THIS GAME RIGHT NOW;
  • Chicken Bone;
  • and more!


The full writeup for Davy Jones' Locker is available on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/486011/Davy-Jones-Locker-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770

If you want to fall down the same rabbit hole that Rachel fell down to reach D's adventures in this episode, this is a good start: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts/overheard/article/queens-of-the-high-seas

Now, what are you looking at? Back to work!

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Book Club of Dread: Tower of Doom is LIVE!27 Dec 202300:02:00

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! Well, a sign pointing you toward Wonderful World of Darklords, anyway. As mentioned in our Home Alone episode, the Tower of Doom episode of Book Club of Dread was so ear-scorchingly filthy that we can't stand to have it appear on our main feed where some new listener might find it and think that's what we're all about, so we're making the standard cut available for free on our Patreon instead (as well as two director's cuts for patrons): https://www.patreon.com/posts/book-club-of-of-95322339?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

(Or, if you don't want to copy-paste that whole mess, just go to patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords and look for the top post.)

Please, PLEASE read the show notes before listening. We may have bleeped the f-bombs, but there are some direct quotes there that'll give you a pretty good idea of why we still didn't want this on our main feed.

Happy gaming!



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 17: Home Alone13 Dec 202301:54:12

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords, ya filthy animal! While it's not animated, Home Alone is technically Disney now that they've bought 20th Century Fox (and let's face it, we're eventually doing Hocus Pocus and Haunted Mansion, so "not animated" isn't a dealbreaker). What's more, in a world where a magical wish really can make your family disappear, Kevin is a perfect darklord trapped in a hell of his own creation--and ready to put your PCs in that hell, too. Topics discussed include:

  • How to get your PCs to go into Kevin's little funhouse so they get all tore up, even though they presumably won't be tempted by promises of stereos, VCRs, and toys;
  • Suggestions for translating Kevin's sadistic traps into their equally sadistic D&D equivalents (with some inspiration from the master of "up yours" traps, Gary Gygax);
  • Alternate versions of Kevin and his house with a variety of different tones, from "heartwarming holiday special about family" to "cathartic beatdown of a spoiled, hateful man-child;"
  • The challenges of adapting a film where the wish-fulfillment power fantasy character is the darklord and the hapless victims are the PCs;
  • And more!


The full writeup for the McElminster house is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/461188/The-McElminster-House-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770

The official WotC Home Alone-inspired stream we mentioned is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DssYPINaF9E&t=2s

Book Club of Dread absolutely will not be ready December 20th (very optimistic view of your editing powers there, Past Rachel), but we're going to move heaven and earth to make sure it's out by Epiphany so the Christmas Bellringer is still appropriate. For the Christmas Bellringer, you want roughly equal parts ginger beer and orange juice OR roughly equal parts gin, ginger beer, and orange juice; adjust the proportions to taste. Please, we beg you, go slow if you add the gin. The ginger beer will hide the flavor of the gin, you will forget you aren't drinking a mocktail, and your bell will get rung if you pour yourself a big ol' glass with the intention of nursing it over a couple hours. This stuff makes Hocus Pocus Punch look like chocolate milk.


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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 16: The Great Mouse Detective13 Nov 202302:05:33

CONTENT ADVISORY: The in-character fiction for this episode involves children being held hostage and threatened with harm. They escape completely unharmed, but please proceed with caution if images from current events are fresh in your mind. (We're so sorry! We wanted something that connected to D's back story and didn't make the connection.)

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In this episode, we're looking at a setting and a darklord so tailor-made for Ravenloft that we barely needed to do any work: Professor Ratigan. Combining Moriarty's criminal genius, Jekyll and Hyde's duality, and Vincent Price's golden pipes, Ratigan is the best of the worst around...and with London by gaslight as his domain, things just keep getting better. Topics discussed include:

  • How to get Basil out of the picture so the PCs can be Ratigan's rivals instead, but without rehashing Robin Hood and Prince John;
  • A curse for Ratigan that lets us play with his delicious stew of self-loathing, denial, obsession, and vanity;
  • The underbaked 2e/3e domain and darklord that can find its themes more fully expressed in Londinium, and the fully-baked one that can be folded into it as well;
  • Suggestions for running a big bad who outsmarts the PCs at every turn without losing friends;
  • and more!


The full writeup for Londinium is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/456011/Londinium-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread-11-13?affiliate_id=241770

You can find the Hour of the Knife adventure for sale on DM's Guild at https://www.dmsguild.com/product/17507/Hour-of-the-Knife-2e, and Shadow of the Knife for free at www.kargatane.com. (It's under "Adventures." We can't just link the darn thing or it'll start automatically downloading the zip file on you. Welcome to 2003.)

You can find the original "butt puppets" episode (which is actually pretty PG-13 rated) here: https://megadumbcast.podbean.com/e/pg-62-balloon-thief-week-11/

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
The Peddler's Tales, Ep. 2: Alameda Slim31 Oct 202301:01:27

Happy Halloween, and welcome to the Peddler's Tales! Today, in honor of the holiday, we present the greatest horror we have ever faced for this podcast: Home on the Range. Don't worry, you don't have to watch the movie to listen to the episode. In fact, we beg you not to. Kris Newton joins us to explain his bizarre fixation with Alameda Slim (the only good part of this godawful movie) and to bring him to life as yodeling, cattle-rustling Mist Traveler with a yearning for revenge. Topics discussed include:

  • Various potential back stories and motivations for Slim, including a surprising connection to our upcoming Book Club of Dread;
  • The unique challenges and opportunities presented by cow-based combat;
  • The valuable place in the gaming ecosystem that an Alameda Slim can occupy but a Maleficent can't (although who knows? Maybe she yodels);
  • A magic item that brings the potential for cosmic horror to Home on the Freaking Range, of all dang movies;
  • and more!


Full writeups for Alameda Slim and the deed to the Little Patch of Heaven are available for free on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/91909661

You can find Kris at the now-completed Gameable Podcast (https://gameabledisneypodcast.tumblr.com/), the on-hiatus MegaDumbCast (https://megadumbcast.podbean.com/ and https://www.patreon.com/megadumbcast), the still-active NXT Wrestling Fan (https://nxtwrestlingfan.libsyn.com/), and occasionally on the still-active Hard Choices (https://hardchoices.libsyn.com/). Please note that all except Gameable are EXTREMELY NSFW.

All music recordings are in the public domain (mark 1.0) and are licensed through https://musopen.org:

Arabian Dance, from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, via the European Archive

Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himselfhttp://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 15: Coco13 Oct 202302:00:52

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! Since we release on the 13th of each month, our Coco episode was either going to be early or fashionably late for Day of the Dead, and we decided on early. Ernesto de la Cruz is a phenomenal darklord, and you can't go wrong with skeletons for a domain aesthetic, but getting the PCs to the Land of the Dead without an elaborate setup involving the theft of a guitar from a mausoleum was tricky. We cracked it, though, and we'll be discussing that along with:

  • How to give de la Cruz an ongoing torment that generates plot hooks, since he seems to be living his best unlife coasting on "Remember Me,"
  • The horrific undertones of Coco that initially turned us off the movie (don't worry, we came around), and how to exploit those if you're making the setting horrific on purpose;
  • Some ideas for additional ghost stories or undead antagonists that fit Coco's themes of memory and reputation, along with a whole lot of references to Van Richten's Guide to Ghosts;
  • The canon darklord who truly, passionately, and unconditionally loathes de la Cruz;
  • and more, including a milestone in our Genres of Horror section!


The full writeup for Santa Cecilia is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/455286/Santa-Cecilia-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770 (Much like last month, we're tweaking de la Cruz's name to avoid flirting with copyright infringement.)

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 14: Toy Story13 Sep 202301:37:23

Welcome back to Wonderful World of Darklords! Our summer hiatus has ended, and we're coming back with a franchise that was our white whale for months: the Toy Story trilogy. (Yes, trilogy. We're so glad they didn't make any more movies after Toy Story 3, the perfect ending to the series, la la la we can't hear you.) Lotso is a perfect darklord in so many ways, but how can the PCs interact with a domain in which every important character is a toy that pretends to be inanimate whenever humans are around? Cracking that puzzle was harder than evading a toy monkey in a panopticon, but we managed it without nearly getting ourselves incinerated in the process.

Topics discussed include:

  • How to get your PCs interacting with Lotso in a way similar to how Woody, Buzz, and the gang do, instead of just tying him to the front of a garbage truck;
  • An in-universe mechanical explanation for why the toys have to freeze in almost every situation, but can move around to scare the pants off Sid;
  • Why the phrase "Stinky Pete is a Kargat agent" makes perfect sense in context;
  • A way to make a Sunnyside-based adventure feel like a Toy Story movie, complete with traveling from one location to another on a strict deadline (although, alas, the final destination isn't Andy's house and the deadline doesn't involve anyone moving or going to college);
  • And more!


The full writeup for Sunnyside is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/450988/Shadyside-Inn-and-Foundling-Home-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=24177 (In the writeup, we're calling it Shadyside and tweaking the names of a few NPCs to avoid any copyright kerfuffles, but all the information is the same. Shadyside is still ruled by an evil bear who smells of strawberries, even if his name happens to be Lazlo.)

In addition to the free DM's Guild writeup, Tom wrote a Toy Story adventure like our Sleepy Hollow adventure from October! As always with these longer adventures, a caveat: while our DM's Guild writeups for domains are free and always will be, adventures are a LOT more work and DM's Guild doesn't give us the option of "no, no, it's free for regular podcast listeners but everyone else has to pay." HOWEVER, just like with Sleepy Hollow and the Raven Nebula, we have a coupon code to get our listeners the adventure for 99 cents instead of $1.99 until the end of September. (And if you join our Patreon, you can get access to a free link!) Check out the discounted link here: https://www.dmsguild.com/shopping_cart.php?products_id=450987


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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
The Peddler's Tales, Episode 1: Cruella De Vil13 Aug 202301:11:20

Welcome to Part Two of the Wonderful World of Darklords' Dog Days of Summer! Tom and Rachel have finally finished their summer travel and will be returning to regular episodes next month, but for now, we're experimenting with a bonus episode format proposed by the incomparable Kris Newton: The Peddler's Tales, in which D learns about various Mist Travelers who are beloved characters but don't have darklord potential. For that, we hard to start with iconic Disney villain who doesn't have a single one of our four darklord qualities: Cruella De Vil. (Look, if you find it tragic and relatable that she can't make a coat out of puppies, that's between you and Ezra.) Kris joins us as we discuss:

  • The roles Cruella can play in your campaign, from pure antagonist to shady quest-giver;
  • A spirited debate on the most appropriate base stats for Cruella, since we can't give her darklord powers to beef them up;
  • How to emulate the feeling of 101 Dalmatians with a D&D party, since heavily armed transients have a far different skill set and problem-solving toolbox than a plethora of puppies;
  • Cruella's potential mooks, henchmen, and criminal contacts beyond Horace and Jasper (prepare for more Disney Easter eggs, y'all);
  • and more!


Full writeups for Cruella and her fabulous coat are available for free on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/cruella-de-vil-87337130?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

You can find Kris at the now-completed Gameable Podcast (https://gameabledisneypodcast.tumblr.com/), the on-hiatus MegaDumbCast (https://megadumbcast.podbean.com/ and https://www.patreon.com/megadumbcast), the still-active NXT Wrestling Fan (https://nxtwrestlingfan.libsyn.com/), and occasionally on the still-active Hard Choices (https://hardchoices.libsyn.com/). Please note that all except Gameable are EXTREMELY NSFW.

All music recordings are in the public domain (mark 1.0) and are licensed through https://musopen.org:

Arabian Dance, from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, via the European Archive

Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himselfhttp://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Book Club of Dread: Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel13 Jul 202302:46:45

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords' Dog Days of Summer! Tom and Rachel have just finished driving thirty hours in the span of two weeks and their summer travel isn't done yet, so in lieu of regular episodes, we're going to be airing bonus episodes in July and August. Luckily, that gives us the chance to premier the long-awaited Book Club of Dread!

If you thought that Hocus Pocus 2 we got was too derivative of the original, you ain't seen nothing yet. According to industry gossip, Disney wanted to make a 25th anniversary sequel in 2018. When it fell through, they commissioned A.W. Jantha to turn that script into a novel, and the result was...not good. We're going to provide you an exhaustive synopsis of this ridiculous novel, then spend some time snuffling out the delicious gaming truffles hidden in this manure. Topics discussed include:

  • The original character who was meant to be the Dani analog, and an analysis of why Dani is endearing while this chucklehead needs to be shot to the moon in a cannon;
  • The character from Hocus Pocus who got a complete personality transplant somewhere in the intervening 25 years, turning what could have been an interesting unresolved emotional beat into a Harry Potter knockoff;
  • The genre for which A.W. Jantha has a genuine gift (sadly, it's not screwball horror comedy);
  • So, so many plot points that occur just like they do in that movie, Hocus Pocus, but with none of the charm;
  • And more!


As a reminder, this episode is PG-13 rather than PG. We're bleeping out the f-bombs, but there are a LOT of bleeped f-bombs, and the humor gets a bit saltier.

If you want to drink along with us, the recipe for Hocus Pocus Punch is here: https://crayonsandcravings.com/hocus-pocus-punch/ We turned it into a cocktail, but the recipe is for a mocktail, and it would be delicious either way.

All music recordings are in the public domain (mark 1.0) and are licensed through https://musopen.org:

Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky, performed by the Skidmore College Orchestra

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagram: https://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 13: Robin Hood13 Jun 202302:03:48

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 of Ravenloft-izing a movie in which the hero is far more dynamic, interesting, and competent than the villain (not a common issue in Disney movies);
  • The darklord powers that a villain as pathetic as Prince John can bring to the table;
  • How to bring horror into one of the most lighthearted, silly, and non-horrific movies in the Disney canon, without going against the spirit of the Robin Hood legend;
  • The potential that the Merry Men have for guerrilla warfare, creepy fey magic, and unspeakable cultic practices;
  • and more!


The full writeup for Nottingham is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/437923/Nottingham-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770

For Book Club of Dread next month, we'll be drinking Hocus Pocus Punch, which you can find here: https://crayonsandcravings.com/hocus-pocus-punch/ Be very careful if you decide to spike it; it sneaks up on you. Ask us how we know!


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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 12: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs13 May 202302:05:16

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 it into a darkly delicious domain? With folklore, that's how.

Topics discussed include:

  • The mythology-rich real-world location that inspired the setting for the movie, which will immediately provide you with every plot hook you could possibly want (no, not the Black Forest, another mythology-rich real-world location that the Brothers Grimm loved);
  • A back story and modus operandi for the wicked queen that gives her something to do beyond brooding in her mirror and searching for Snow White, complete with hags, ill-advised magical bargains, and gruesome blood magic;
  • Our aging-uppiest aging-up section to date, because boy howdy does the queen have a certain vibe;
  • A boatload of ideas to integrate the wicked queen with a certain other beautiful raven-haired darklord who loves poison;
  • and more!


Click on the link. You know the penalty if you fail.


The full writeup for the Queenswood is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/434228/The-Queenswood--A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770


The book series Rachel was raving about is the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. Check it out! (Unfortunately, you have to read the series in order, so you can't just jump straight to the wonderfulness of Winter or the swooniness of Scarlet/Wolf.)


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), performed by Edward Neeman


Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner


Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff


Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagram: https://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:


Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 23: Holes13 Jun 202401:57:13

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords' Summer Blockbuster series! We're kicking off the summer with a cult favorite that did quite well for itself at the box office despite not busting any blocks: Holes. The warden is a phenomenal darklord, and the source material is already chockablock with curses and dark vengeance from beyond the grave despite being 90% realistic fiction, but how do you get a satisfying Holes adventure if none of your PCs have a no-good pig-stealing great-great-grandfather? Along with that question, topics discussed include:

  • The undeniable advantage that D&D has in allowing the PCs to discover the backstory, which could be superfluous to playing a basic Holes adventure but is critical for enjoying it;
  • How to have a prison break adventure if the warden is a darklord and can just close the borders whenever she feels like it;
  • A use, at long last, for your character's proficiency in cook's utensils;
  • In-depth discussion of an intense 2e Ravenloft prison break module, with ideas to either make Holes more like that module (for your hardcore roleplayers) or to make that adventure more like Holes (for your players who don't enjoy being punched in the face);
  • and more!


The full writeup for Camp Greenlake is available on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/482201/Green-Lake-Prison-Camp-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770

Bleak House is also available on DM's Guild! (Sadly, not for free) https://www.dmsguild.com/product/201381/Bleak-House-2e

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 11: The Last Unicorn13 Apr 202302:07:27

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 and its grace.

Topics discussed include:

  • The thread that unites almost every character's interactions with the unicorn in the movie and novel, and how to adapt that theme into interactions with your PCs;
  • Tips for letting your PCs fill the role of the unicorn in the story (since she's clearly the protagonist, and presumably none of your PCs are unicorns);
  • The difficulty of adapting a transcendently beautiful work of fantasy into a horror setting without violating the spirit of the source material;
  • An on-mic epiphany about the second genre of horror (the first is predictable);
  • And more!


The full writeup for King Haggard's Land is available for free on DM's Guildhttps://www.dmsguild.com/product/430305/King-Haggards-Land-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770


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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himselfhttp://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode Eleventeen: Cars01 Apr 202300:29:20

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 sentient cars, where all humanoids are presumably extinct;
  • Some thoughts of Mater's son, Tom Mater, being Carlos De Vil's car in the Descendants series, and how to incorporate that foreshadowed dark romance with Cruella's car into your game;
  • How to age down a movie in which Rod Redline is literally tortured to death onscreen;
  • And more!


The full writeup for Radiator Springs is available for free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/tow-mater-of-80177361?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himselfhttp://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords at gmail dot com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 10, Part 2: The Hunchback of Notre Dame13 Mar 202301:41:04

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 down, the cakewalk of aging it up, and the chainsaw-juggling of aging it up without losing friends;
  • The unique opportunity that Notre Dame offers for a slow-burn recurring setting as Frollo tightens his grip on the city;
  • Genres of horror that range from the predictable to the avant-garde, and how each genre allows you to accentuate a particular aspect of the setting;
  • Campaign ideas that spring fully formed from our conversation like a mist-shrouded Athena, complete with apocalyptic Ezra cults, uneasy alliances with Ivana Boritsi, and optional demons;
  • And more!


Plus, Rachel proves that while she's embarrassed about shilling our own Patreon, she is absolutely shameless about shilling her friends' Patreons, particularly if they have vampires in them.


The full writeup for Cite de Notre Dame is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/427121/Notre-Dame-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread-3-13?affiliate_id=241770&fbclid=IwAR2LTVCoytdbit3aVfa0_n7zLRMdBtVRqlzK_V8gqlbdfwjoS1s3HpRZoQ4

You can find Kris at the now-completed Gameable Podcast (https://gameabledisneypodcast.tumblr.com/), the on-hiatus MegaDumbCast (https://megadumbcast.podbean.com/ and https://www.patreon.com/megadumbcast), and the still-active NXT Wrestling Fan (https://nxtwrestlingfan.libsyn.com/)

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

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himselfhttp://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords at gmail dot com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 10, Part 1: The Hunchback of Notre Dame13 Mar 202302:02:14

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 antagonist Kris Newton as we delve into the Cite de Notre Dame and its lord. Topics discussed include:

  • An act of ultimate darkness that draws on another work of gothic literature, which lets us give Frollo some supernatural powers even though you just know he hates magic;
  • How the domain already reflects Frollo's personality and torment, even though it doesn't have a single other hypocritical, genocidal judge;
  • The most exciting point in the events of the movie to set the status quo, giving your PCs the opportunity to take advantage of all those delicious fracture points and tension lines instead of letting the NPCs do it for them;
  • The thematic richness that's already overflowing from Notre Dame Cathedral, the Palace of Justice, and the Court of Miracles, and how to reflect it with both flavor and mechanics;
  • and more! Including, believe it or not, the gargoyles.


The full writeup for Cite de Notre Dame is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/427121/Notre-Dame-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread-3-13?affiliate_id=241770&fbclid=IwAR2LTVCoytdbit3aVfa0_n7zLRMdBtVRqlzK_V8gqlbdfwjoS1s3HpRZoQ4

You can find Kris at the now-completed Gameable Podcast (https://gameabledisneypodcast.tumblr.com/), the on-hiatus MegaDumbCast (https://megadumbcast.podbean.com/ and https://www.patreon.com/megadumbcast), and the still-active NXT Wrestling Fan (https://nxtwrestlingfan.libsyn.com/)

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himselfhttp://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords at gmail dot com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Bonus Episode 4: D is for Disney27 Feb 202300:33:04

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 discussing what the D stands for (and has stood for from the beginning), as well as our intrepid narrator's backstory, roleplaying traits, and other behind-the-curtain goodies. A bit self-indulgent, maybe, but according to the date on Rachel's Google doc of the Lion King writeup, we've been sitting on this for 341 days and we're WAY too excited that it's out in the world.

You can find a full profile for D on Tumblr, Facebook, Patreon, or the last page of our Princess and the Frog writeup: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/423934/Crescent-City-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread-02-13?affiliate_id=241770&fbclid=IwAR3ZqtGDbxKJM_1xfKggL7APHiGbXpEFfv6L698NdFpHHVlsNstIxq00nSg


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


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords at gmail dot com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 9: The Princess and the Frog13 Feb 202302:08:01

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 great gusto. Topics discussed include:

  • The horror of a domain that's essentially an MLM, complete with a darklord who projects success but has to hustle, hustle, hustle just to keep his head above water;
  • The joy of a setting based on a real-world city chockablock with weird and haunted history (and a cornerstone of the southern gothic to boot!);
  • Why, despite that "cornerstone of the southern gothic" thing, we didn't choose Gothic for one of our genres of horror, and how to incorporate the gothic if that's what you want;
  • So many Disney Easter eggs you'd swear we'd been to Disney World more than zero times;
  • and more!


Come on, darling. Think of all the episodes you've listened to, the hours you've sacrificed. Just click on the link. You're almost there . . .


The full writeup for Crescent City is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/423934/Crescent-City-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread-02-13?affiliate_id=241770&fbclid=IwAR2PcUlAFrT41I_DR3upH5fkmHKQyFeqm67201iwokguz97jMUYPngooxKU Heads up: if you usually read or skim the writeup before listening to the episode, please listen to the episode first this time. There's a moment with D that's going to land better in audio format than on the page. What moment, you ask? The cards, the cards, the cards will tell . . .

The books we plugged are Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik and The Good House by Tananarive Due. Check them both out!

Rachel's MLM horror story can be found on Podcastle, not Pseudopod, here: https://podcastle.org/2021/04/27/podcastle-676-bloodbossbabes/ If you listen to the audio, there's an f-bomb.

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himselfhttp://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords at gmail dot com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 8: Beauty and the Beast13 Jan 202302:07:48

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:

  • Why we decided on Gaston as the darklord even though you can make an excellent case for pre-redemption Beast, and how to use Beast as your darklord if you prefer;
  • How to make Belle an active presence in the setting like she deserves, while not letting her steal the story from your PCs;
  • A version of the Beast's castle that preserves its eerie mystique in a D&D context;
  • A curse for Gaston that makes him the real monster in more ways than one;
  • and more!


And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair, as the Kolars proudly present: Beauty and the Beast!

The full writeup for Elsaz is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/420636/The-Beasts-Castle--A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread-01-13?affiliate_id=241770&fbclid=IwAR1ocZ26snwdAxSesbMbGD8R2gJt5DuqQNlFW5aawAlGpLmQ4vXxNFssvgQ

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagram: https://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords at gmail dot com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Bonus Episode 3: The Raven Nebula20 Dec 202200:32:22

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 release them again...


Much like with our Sleepy Hollow writeup, we have a caveat: while our DM's Guild writeups for domains are free and always will be, this was a LOT more work than a domain writeup and DM's Guild doesn't give us the option of "no, no, it's free for regular podcast listeners but everyone else has to pay." HOWEVER, just like with Sleepy Hollow, we have a coupon code to get our listeners the adventure for 99 cents instead of $1.99 until the end of January. Check it out here: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?discount=9b3c63516c

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


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagram: https://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords at gmail dot com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 7: Treasure Planet13 Dec 202201:41:55

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 Treasure Planet, not Treasure Island (because I promise ye, mateys, once yer players go to space there's no comin' back);
  • How to use a darklord whose torment is "he'll never find the McGuffin" while still givin' yer PCs the pleasure of findin' it themselves;
  • Genres of horror for a story that, while a crackin' adventure yarn, is a bit of a lubber as far as scares are concerned;
  • Ideas for how to bring these scurvy pirates to existin' domains, from the deadly waters of the Sea of Sorrows to the booty-rich ports of Borca;
  • and more!


(And no, we don't be talkin' like this in the episode, me bucko, never fear.)


The full writeup for Flint's Archipelago be available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/418121/Treasure-Island-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread-12-13?affiliate_id=241770&fbclid=IwAR1a3jLTEqBdsRZVTGp7sIsWnhTm1fFTjiIFb1MM6_eEUvSRwv13lJxDuk0


All music recordings be in the public domain (mark 1.0) and are licensed through https://musopen.org (no piracy here, by t'under!):

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom ye can find on Tumblr and Instagram: https://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords at gmail dot com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Twitter: @wonderdarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 6: Frozen13 Nov 202201:55:46

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 Arendelle is much more a reflection of her than of him, so if Elsa is special to you, you might want to skip this one. Subjects discussed include:


--How to make a darklord whose canonical motivation is "I just want to be left alone" into an active and dynamic villain, and how to bring in some of the Snow Queen material that never made it into the movie;


--Why this is another domain where your PCs can make a meaningful, positive change in the lives of the people without ending the darklord's torment (which is good, because this is one hecking bleak domain);


--How to use Arendelle without making Elsa the darklord if you love her too much to let her alignment be neutral evil;


--Tips for making cold and starvation frightening for a party that comes prepared with cold resistance and goodberry;


--and more!


The full writeup for Arendelle is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/415514/The-Frozen-Land-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread-11-13?affiliate_id=241770&fbclid=IwAR2zEj167PS-h9l3p-zewq21_cSpBENe6k1N3YvO7FYkiv23fEkQQWsVzmE


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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.twitter.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones: http://www.twitter.com/katimus1



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 22: WandaVision13 May 202402:05:11

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords: Marvel May! It's the inaugural episode of something we're hoping to make an annual tradition, but honestly, we kind of invented the whole thing just so we could talk about what might be the most obvious Ravenloft domain Disney has ever done. (If you wanted to describe Ravenloft domains to someone who wasn't familiar with the concept, you could do worse than "It's like WandaVision.") Topics discussed include:

  • The D&D equivalent of a warm, safe sitcom set in a slice of idyllic suburban Americana;
  • How to bring your PCs into a domain that the darklord wants to keep locked down at all times, and how to maintain the feel of WandaVision without stripping away their agency the moment they set foot in Westview;
  • The goofy D&D sitcom versions of multiple MCU characters, all of whom are screaming on the inside;
  • Whether or not it was, in fact, Agatha all along;
  • And more!


The full writeup for Westview is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/480287/Wandas-Vision-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770 Even if you normally just listen to the episode without reading the writeup, we highly recommend checking out the writeup after listening this time. We came up with the "sitcom shenanigans" table after recording and couldn't discuss it on mic, and we are SO proud of that thing.

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Bonus Episode 2: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow31 Oct 202200:40:37

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 bridge before you're decapitated." We've brought Ichabod Crane, Brom Bones, Katrina Van Tassel, and the whole village of Sleepy Hollow along with the Horseman and his bridge for an adventure that we hope brings a ton of mystery and roleplaying potential to go with that climactic fight and chase.


Our DM's Guild writeups for domains are always free, but unfortunately, adventures are roughly five times as long as domain writeups and we have kids to feed. HOWEVER, for our listeners, we have a coupon code to get you the adventure for 99 cents instead of $1.99 until the end of November. Check it out here: https://www.dmsguild.com/index.php?discount=9e9dfb279e (And if you can't spring for the adventure, we hope you still enjoy the episode. In the fine tradition of WonderDarklords bonus episodes, Rachel has ideas that are WAY too gonzo for the finished product.)


CREDITS

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

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones: http://www.twitter.com/katimus1



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 5: The Nightmare Before Christmas13 Oct 202201:59:25

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 discussed include:


-Giving Halloween Town a dash of thematic darkness to match its creepy aesthetic, while (we hope) still keeping it recognizable as the Halloween Town we know and love;



--How to adapt the "Halloween takes over Christmas" movie to a setting that has neither Halloween nor Christmas;



--A particularly baroque and high-concept backstory that allows you to bring Jack's new and improved visions to any domain you choose;



--The roles that various beloved Halloween Town characters might play in the domain and the adventure, including which one, other than Oogie Boogie, is just the worst;



--and more!


The full writeup for Halloween Town is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/411747/Halloween-Town-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread-10-13?affiliate_id=241770&fbclid=IwAR30etbhuaECZQM3mAiVvicayrdZKqFD-Q-VnGPFRjtiL73z6ojjyu7vVyE


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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.twitter.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones: http://www.twitter.com/katimus1



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 4: Sleeping Beauty13 Sep 202202:03:14

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 to do our best to elevate it to her glorious level. Subjects discussed include:


--A potential backstory for Maleficent that gives her a more human motivation than "not invited to a party" without (we hope) diluting her malevolence or turning her into an antihero;



--Adventure ideas for a domain where 90% of the citizenry is asleep, including ideas for encounters other than "Maleficent's raven" or "bumbling goblins;"



--Why this is the first domain so far where you can successfully play through the entire plot of the movie (other than the part where Maleficent dies) without breaking the setting;



--Our darkhorse candidate for a secondary genre of horror that lets Sleeping Beauty fill a creepy niche that's currently empty;



--and more!


The full writeup for the Sleeping Kingdom is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/408757/The-Sleeping-Kingdom-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread-drops-9-13?affiliate_id=241770

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.twitter.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones: http://www.twitter.com/katimus1



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Bonus Episode 1: More Options for the Natives of Neverland13 Aug 202200:25:03

Peter Pan has a, um, checkered history with its use of Native American characters, but their role as a third faction of Neverland has the potential to be incredibly fruitful for gaming. In Episode 3, we have six or seven minutes devoted to possible ways to run Tiger Lily without wanting to punch yourself in the face, but we cut almost twenty minutes of other potential options (and a lot more discussion of the options we did include). Tom's favorite option made it into the main episode, but Rachel's was much too weird to be anywhere but here. Come join us for a taste of that weirdness!

CREDITS

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

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones: http://www.twitter.com/katimus1




Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 3: Peter Pan13 Aug 202202:26:35

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In this particularly liberal-arts-major episode (which, contrary to our expectations in Episode Zero, is only one episode), we discuss Peter Pan, and occasionally even touch on the Disney movie. A land of perpetual childhood is a bit like Narnia's Dark Island where dreams come true: it sounds lovely until you think about it for five minutes, and then the horror potential is everywhere. Subjects discussed include:


--Which of Neverland's two excellent darklord candidates we chose and why;


--Why Neverland is aesthetically the least scary, but thematically the scariest, domain we've covered so far;


--The incredible storytelling and horror potential of what is essentially a meta domain about stories (in which there's one main character, and it's not you);


--How to run the natives without hating yourself in the morning, and enough feminist and Freudian analysis of Peter Pan to make our college English professors very happy with us,


--and more!


The full writeup for Encanto is available for free on DMs' Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/404890/Neverland-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770&fbclid=IwAR17JtKv9EPU5xNUaxkNbzjaED1AxiEAWFyYfmkoECpdOnfIy4sZYulSm58

CREDITS

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.twitter.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones: http://www.twitter.com/katimus1



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 2: Encanto13 Jul 202201:53:10

CONTENT ADVISORY: In this episode, we're talking about how to make Encanto--a movie about emotional abuse, intergenerational trauma, emotional abuse, gaslighting, and emotional abuse--even darker, which involves getting pretty heavily into those themes and making some of the implicit horror of Encanto a lot more explicit. This episode, like this setting, isn't for everyone. For those of us who don't like nice things, subjects discussed include:

--How to turn a heartbreakingly beautiful moment into Abuela's Act of Ultimate Darkness, and why in the world we would do that (it isn't just to be edgelords, we promise!)

--One of our favorite genres of horror, which is underrepresented in Disney but which we twisted, spindled, and mutilated to fit Encanto (or vice versa);

--Why each of the Madrigals might choose to leave with the PCs, why each might fight the PCs to preserve the status quo, and which Madrigal grandchild makes us question our life choices;

--The non-evil Ravenloft NPC that your PCs might never trust again after visiting this domain;

--And more!

The full writeup for Encanto is available for free on DMs' Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/400450


CREDITS

All music recordings are in the public domain (mark 1.0):

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.twitter.com/darklordazalin


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones: http://www.twitter.com/katimus1



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 1: The Lion King13 Jun 202201:49:01

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In our pilot episode, we discuss The Lion King, why Scar is basically already a darklord, and how to bring him into your own campaign if saving a horror-movie version of the Pride Lands sounds like a fun way to spend a Saturday night. Subjects discussed include:

–Our own histories with Ravenloft, including Rachel flexing extremely hard because she doesn’t want to get atted;

–A detailed breakdown of how we’ll be evaluating the darklord potential of Disney villains throughout the series, and why Scar is basically Strahd with a musical number;

–How to keep the “talking animal” flavor of The Lion King without the silliness of actual talking animals; 

–The sorts of adventures you can have in the Pride Lands, beyond “stand back and cheer for Simba;”

–And more!

The full writeup for the Pride Lands is available for free on DMs' Guild.

All music recordings are in the public domain (mark 1.0):

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself.


The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones.



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 0: Prologue01 Jun 202200:31:46

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In this, our "session zero" episode, we get into who we are and what we plan to do. Subjects discussed include:

--Why we hope a subject as specific as "turning Disney movies into Ravenloft domains of dread" will be helpful for more than just Disney fans and Ravenloft GMs;

--What we mean when we say we're a "PG-rated, family-friendly" podcast, and how that works in the context of a horror game;

--What the formatting of Wonderful World of Darklords will have in common with World of Darkness, other than 2.5 words

--Effusive thanks to three people who are even more wonderful than the world of darklords;

--and more!

The actual pilot will drop June 13th, but this should give you an idea of what to expect when that happens.

Music is Chopin's Nocturne in B-Flat Minor, Op. 9 No. 1, performed by Eduardo Vinuela (public domain mark 1.0)

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones.

Edited to add: great Scott, we plugged Kris Newton's stuff but forgot to link to it in the show notes! The Gameable Podcast archives are here (enjoy drinking from the fire hose) and MegaDumbCast is here (never while your kids are in the room please we cannot stress this enough).



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 21: Princess Mononoke13 Apr 202402:07:29

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In the spirit of April Fool's Day, we're once again taking a break from Disney movies for this month's episode (yes, we know Disney distributed the Ghiblis for a while, but we operate under strict Calvinball rules in which Home Alone can be a regular episode but Princess Mononoke can't). There's so much nightmare fuel in Princess Mononoke that it's almost redundant to turn it into a horror setting, but turning it into a Ravenloft domain is another matter entirely. Topics discussed include:

  • How to give Irontown and the forest an unforgivable, irredeemable darklord when one of the movie's main themes is that no one is unforgivable or irredeemable (except Jigo, who we're going to discuss a lot);
  • A Disney movie that we will never, ever make an episode about, but that actually has quite a bit of thematic overlap with Princess Mononoke, so you can just pretend this is that episode if you want;
  • Multiple AU possibilities for the darklord, ranging from "fairly obvious" to "high-concept fever dream;"
  • The canon darklord who can fill the same role as Lord Asano but with more personality;
  • and more!


The full writeup for the Mononoke Forest is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/476619/Mononoke-Forest-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770

The real-life inspiration for the forest was Shiratani Unsuikyo on Yakushima Island. Swoon over some photos that look like they should have Okkoto in them here: https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/shiratani-unsuikyo

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 207012: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh01 Apr 202400:28:21

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In this episode, we tackle Disney's most terrifying setting to date, as explored in a horror movie that was absolutely not a soulless cash grab: the Hundred Acre Wood. Topics discussed include:

  • The surprising connections between Winnie the Pooh, a darklord ruled by his basest appetites, and another darklord from a recent episode;
  • The rich narrative possibility of an uneasy alliance with Heffalumps and Woozles, and the pitfalls of teaming up with such untrustworthy creatures even when they're the only things the darklord fears;
  • The horror potential of the source material, from Rabbit's heartless kidnapping scheme to a survival-horror frozen expotition to the North Pole;
  • Ideas to integrate Tigger with a certain other rakshasa, and how Kalakeri's themes intersect with those from the Hundred Acre Wood;
  • and more!


The full writeup for the Hundred Acre Wood s is available for free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/darklord-of-very-101391105?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner

Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 20: Big Hero 613 Mar 202402:13:29

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! While superheroes and D&D are staples of geek culture, they don't necessarily go together; the occasional Sorcerer Supreme notwithstanding, superheroes are more associated with sci-fi than high fantasy. Luckily, not only is there a D&D setting that lets us embrace the technowizardry of Big Hero 6 without throwing all the fantasy tropes out the window, but it's a setting that doesn't have a full domain to its name yet. Topics discussed include:

  • How to get an ongoing story engine out of Callaghan/Yokai when his only goal in the movie is "kill this one guy;"
  • Horror possibilities for a dark superhero setting that are less obvious than the edgelord excesses of the 90s (please, we beg of you, don't make Gail Simone angry);
  • Settings and plot hooks suggested by the criminally underrated Big Hero 6 TV show, from secondary antagonists to sinister underworld cooking competitions, and an overarching theme to make them feel coherent with the domain;
  • Possibilities for the Big Hero 6 team that go beyond our go-to response of "kill them off so they aren't getting in the way of the PCs;"
  • and more!


The full writeup for San Fransokyo (or its non-copyright equivalent, San Franciskyoto) is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/472549/San-Franciskyoto-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Bonus Episode 5: Hadestown29 Feb 202402:28:09

On a Disney podcast, dear,

Why is there live theater here?

Why this Broadway musical?

It ain't right, and it ain't natural.


Listener, it's Hadestown. Regardless of how long anyone was gone and how lonesome we were or weren't, we couldn't resist such a perfect darklord and domain--especially since we're just coming off another domain with Hades as a darklord. Topics discussed include:

  • A bit of reiterating who we are and what we do here at Wonderful World of Darklords, since we recognize that we might have people who will just click on anything with "Hadestown" in the title (and we can't blame them);
  • How to adapt the gods of Hadestown to non-gods in Ravenloft, including some canonical characters who map surprisingly well to Hermes and the Fates;
  • The horror inherent to both Hadestown proper and Up Top, and how to make your PCs feel the loss of Persephone's summer bounty;
  • Plot hooks that allow your PCs to fill the Orpheus role without necessarily having a star-crossed lover;
  • and more!


Click on the link or not, little songbird. The choice is yours if you're willing to choose, seeing as how you've got nothing to lose...

The full writeup for Hadestown is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/468990/Hades-Town-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 19: Hercules13 Feb 202402:09:23

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In this episode, we're going from talking tigers to literal freaking gods with what might be our most powerful darklord to date: Hades. (We don't know whether we'd back Hades, Elsa, or Maleficent in a fight, and we don't want to be anywhere in a hundred-mile radius if that ever happens.) Making the god of the underworld a darklord was a tricky proposition; after all, the Dark Powers weren't able to hang onto Vecna. We figured out a solution that lets us bring everyone's favorite evil motor-mouth in without having to shatter the demiplane in the process. Topics discussed include:

  • How Hercules works in some of the dark, horrifying themes of Greek mythology despite being a bowdlerization, and how to generalize those themes to an entire domain;
  • How to make your PCs the main characters of a Hercules domain even though the movie has a full-on prophesied Chosen One (it doesn't have to involve killing him this time, we promise!);
  • Monsters and characters from Greek mythology that lend themselves beautifully to a sprawling domain that still keeps Hades as its primary mover and shaker;
  • Serious geeking out over the gods of Ravenloft and how the gods of Olympus fit into their metaphysic;
  • and more!


(We don't actually discuss Vecna. We're sorry. Rachel keeps forgetting Vecna was a darklord because he's connected to so much non-Ravenloft material that the idea of diving into all of it causes her to automatically fail a Fear save. Please don't @ us; it's taking all her willpower not to rerecord the entire episode.)

The full writeup for Olympus is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/467315/Olympus-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread-2-13?affiliate_id=241770

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 18: The Jungle Book13 Jan 202402:06:41

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! Second edition already did a Jungle Book-inspired domain with the Wildlands, but it didn't make the jump into 5e and it had some key differences from its source material, which means that this movie is as ripe for picking as a pawpaw or a prickly pear (as opposed to classic Disney movies that are already covered in 5e by certain Dementlieus we can name). As a heads up, we love both the classic animated Jungle Book and the 2016 live-action version, so we're going to be bringing in elements from both. Topics discussed include:

  • Why we feel it's crucial that the humans in the man village be much more innocent than humans typically are in a man-versus-nature story;
  • The rich potential of a setting that has so many NPCs with their own agendas, from Bagheera, the vultures, and the wolves to Kaa, King Louie, and old stripes himself;
  • "Aging-down" ideas for allowing an entire party of Mowglis, each raised by different animals;
  • The style of campaign we've barely discussed in this podcast that fits Jungle Book like tiny red shorts;
  • and more!


The full writeup for the Seeonee is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/464028/Mowglis-Jungle-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread-01-13?view_as_pub=1

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Announcements: Dragon Week and Listener's Choice Round Two22 Apr 202500:03:36

A couple of quick announcements about revisiting an old darklord and about the next round of Listener's Choice voting!

The Maleficent episode is here: https://youtu.be/A53ZxWvrwMs?si=mkVPgRcb9zOGsJUa

We'll link them in those show notes AND these show notes! Visage of Eyes' Tumblr is here: https://www.tumblr.com/ravenloftbythelamplight There's so much great Ravenloft art here, y'all. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Thank you for listening, and happy gaming!



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
D's Journal: Labyrinth (with commentary)13 Apr 202500:57:05

While D's Journal is normally a patrons-only perk, we felt bad that we couldn't give more concrete examples of how to personalize the Labyrinth to your own PCs because the episode was already so. dang. long. That's why we've decided to open up this behind-the-scenes explanation of the imagery and encounters that D experienced to everyone. Patrons, don't worry--you'll still be getting some exclusive D content, it just isn't done yet.

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords

YouTube: @wonderfulworldofdarklord



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Bonus Episode 6: Night on Bald Mountain31 Oct 202400:44:30

Happy Halloween from Wonderful World of Darklords! Night on Bald Mountain is such an important part of Disney's spooky legacy that we had no choice but to make an episode about it . . . but how the heck do you make Chernobog a darklord? If you can answer that question, we salute you. We opted to make him something akin to a Mist Traveler, but without the "traveling" part since he has a mountain for legs. Topics discussed include:

  • why this isn't a Peddler's Tale, even though it probably should be;
  • how Chernobog came to be fused with a mountain, and why that mountain is actually several mountains in a weird metaphysical sense;
  • story ideas for Bald Mountain that range from folk horror to Seven Samurai to Strahd and Azalin meeting up and snarking at each other;
  • how to have an entire campaign when your Big Bad is a stationary demon who only wakes for up one night out of the year;
  • and more!


The full write-up for Bald Mountain is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/496393

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

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords

YouTube: @wonderfulworldofdarklord



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 27: The Haunted Mansion13 Oct 202401:55:17

CONTENT ADVISORY: because the 2023 film version of The Haunted Mansion involves convincing a living soul to die and join the happy haunts, this episode discusses suicide.

Welcome, foolish mortals, to Wonderful World of Darklords! We are your hosts--your podcast hosts. Kindly load the full episode, and make room (on your hard drive) for every byte. There's no turning back now. Unless you stop listening five minutes in, I suppose. There's always that way out...

This episode is primarily drawing on the 2023 Haunted Mansion movie since it has a darklord and a plot, but if you prefer other versions of the Mansion, don't worry; we're incorporating as many as possible. Topics discussed include:

  • How to give Alistair Crump, a fun but cartoonishly evil villain, an element of tragedy and relatability;
  • How to essentially turn the Haunted Mansion into Hill House, Hell House, or the Overlook;
  • Alternate versions of the domain that highlight other ghosts as the darklord or boss, including Ramsley the butler, Constance Hatchaway, Henry Ravenswood, or even Madam Leota;
  • So, so, SO many mechanics from the older material to represent hauntings;
  • And more!


The full write-up for the Haunted Mansion is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/497406/The-Haunted-Manor-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770

Grim Grinning Gauntlet, Michael Loving's version of the haunted mansion as a pure dungeon crawl, is available here: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/254923/Grim-Grinning-Gauntlet

If you want a gonzo haunted house full of surreal manifestations from the older material, check out Bleak House: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/201381/Bleak-House-2e?filters=0_0_0_0_45359_45347_0_0

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction

9:09 The Lord

38:51 The Land

49:03 Dread Possibilities

1:02:06 Aging Up (CW more detailed discussions of suicide and murder-suicide)

1:05:40 Aging Up ends

1:19:19 Parting Thoughts

1:49:37 D’s Parting Thoughts

Content Advisory for D's Journal (details on content advisories can be found on Facebook, Tumblr, and Patreon)

Gaslighting (major), death (major), blood (major), corpses (major), suicide (moderate)

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords

YouTube: @wonderfulworldofdarklord




Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 26: Wish13 Sep 202401:54:19

This is what you give me to work with?

Well honey, I've seen worse!

We're going to turn this sow's ear

Into a silk purse


Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In this episode, we're taking a look at a deeply flawed Disney movie whose numerous defects include an underdeveloped villain, an underdeveloped setting, and underdeveloped potential for some light existential horror. Luckily, our raison d'etre is developing villains, settings, and heavy existential horror, so we're here to extract the most wondrous, beautiful parts of this movie and help them come to fruition. Topics discussed include:

  • How to represent removing and/or granting a wish with the mechanics of D&D, other than "I guess Magnifico's giving that one woman a Flying speed;"
  • Some AU timeline shenanigans so you can have a fully evil, post-Act of Ultimate Darkness Magnifico who retains his Act One subtlety;
  • The genre that best matches the plot and themes of Wish, which was a terrible fit for "Disney fairy tale pastiche" but a beautiful fit for a Ravenloft domain;
  • Ideas for working in the evil power couple version of Magnifico and Amaya from the concept art;
  • and more!


The full writeup for Rosas is available on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/493104/The-Kingdom-of-Roses-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770

The jungle juice recipe we used for Book Club of Dread is here: https://www.staysnatched.com/jungle-juice-recipe/ Honestly, though, in the spirit of jungle juice, you're probably best off just mixing together whatever juices you have in the fridge and throwing in some alcohol if you want.

Also, per a listener request: introducing timestamps!

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction

4:32 The Lord

39:05 The Land

59:49 Dread Possibilities

1:23:59 Parting Thoughts

1:50:13 D's Parting Thoughts


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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords

YouTube: @wonderfulworldofdarklord



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 33: Labyrinth13 Apr 202502:45:44

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In this extremely long episode, Tom and an increasingly thirsty Rachel are talking about a villain who looms large in the imaginations of Xennials everywhere: Jareth, the Goblin King. He's a magnetic and malevolent presence whose domain is a perfect reflection of his disaster bi energy, but he has no canon backstory and may just be a figment of Sarah's imagination, so adapting him posed some challenges. But if Sarah can escape the oubliette, cross the Bog of Eternal Stench, and say no to Jareth looking at her like that in the masquerade ball, we can rise to this challenge. Topics discussed include:

  • Squaring the circle of making Jareth an independent being and a figment of Sarah's imagination at the same time, and how you can make him occupy that same role for your PCs;
  • Adapting the labyrinth so it reflects your PCs' inner worlds in the same way that the canon labyrinth reflects Sarah's, from "give the movie's labyrinth-dwellers the mannerisms of your NPCs" to high-concept lunacy that makes our Christmas Carol episode look straightforward;
  • How to bring your PCs into the labyrinth in the first place, since presumably none of them are going to wish for the goblins to steal their babies;
  • Why everything about the labyrinth, including the thirteen-hour time limit, is ultimately a distraction from Jareth's real game;
  • and more!


The full write-up for the Goblin King's Labyrinth is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/517199/The-Goblin-Kings-Labyrinth-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?view_as_pub=1

Our Listener's Choice poll is available as a public post on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/listeners-choice-125322997

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction

6:01 The Lord

53:05 The Land

1:21:50 Dread Possibilities

2:15:37 Parting Thoughts

2:41:52 D’s Parting Thoughts

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords

YouTube: @wonderfulworldofdarklord



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 104: Phineas and Ferb01 Apr 202500:49:21

Ah, Leslie the Listener! How unexpected...and by unexpected, we mean COMPLETELY EXPECTED! Behold, our April UNFools-inator! You see, back in Gimmelshtump, we always wanted to run a Phineas and Ferb-themed session of Ravenloft, but we didn't know how to do it, and even if we had, no one would have come to our game because they would have been playing Roger's game instead. So with the April UNFools-inator, we're going to turn what would normally be a wacky April Fools Day episode into an actual guide to running a Phineas and Ferb session in your Ravenloft game. Topics discussed include:

  • Why Dr. Doofenshmirtz is the most evil, brilliant, and devastatingly handsome darklord in all of Ravenloft (or will be, when he targets Strahd with the Uglinator);
  • The role of Vanessa's friend Candace, along with her two brothers and her very normal pet platypus;
  • How to bring heavily armed transients into the Tri-State Area. (Heavily armed, that's weird. Like, are their arms heavy? The paladin's wearing plate mail on her arms, that looks heavy, I guess, but what about that gnomish rogue over there?)
  • Aglets;
  • And more!


Dr. Doofenshmirtz's stats and the writeup for the Spell-Inator are available as a public post on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/behold-spell-125329957

Our Listener's Choice poll is also available as a public post on our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/posts/listeners-choice-125322997

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction

5:20 The Lord

26:20 Dread Possibilities

45:04 D’s Parting Thoughts

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords

YouTube: @wonderfulworldofdarklord



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 32: Up13 Mar 202501:41:22

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! We're continuing last month's theme of "traveling to amazing and faraway places" with a very different elderly darklord who mistrusts outsiders. Up is one of the greatest animated movies ever made, but can it be a great D&D setting as well? Topics discussed include:

  • How to make Kevin feel like a singularly beautiful and unique creature in a world with literal unicorns;
  • Why Up is especially suited to low-level play (although it can also be adapted to higher-level parties);
  • The D&D version of "intelligent talking dogs in airplanes that shoot tranquilizer darts;"
  • Why it's critical to enter Paradise Falls with a specific goal in mind in order to make the adventure feel like the movie;
  • and more!


The full write-up for Paradise Falls is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/514273/Paradise-Falls-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?view_as_pub=1

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction

2:41 The Lord

28:27 The Land

43:37 Dread Possibilities

1:18:09 Parting Thoughts

1:39:24 D’s Parting Thoughts

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords

YouTube: @wonderfulworldofdarklord

Read less



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 31: Atlantis: The Lost Empire13 Feb 202502:06:30

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! Many, MANY of you have asked for a domain based on the Disney movie about a team of heavily armed transients who dive through subterranean tunnels in search of either treasure or a sad, unresolved Bond. Atlantis is, without question, the most D&D movie that Disney has ever done, and while it's more Eberron or Spelljammer than Ravenloft, we're here for the challenge. Because, hey, that's what this is all about, right? I mean, imagination, teamwork, intellectual puzzles. Unless, maybe...we're just in it for the cool submarine. Topics discussed include:

  • The challenge of choosing a darklord for Atlantis, since Rourke is there to ransack, not to rule;
  • The D&D equivalent of "technologically advanced immortals who have somehow forgotten how to use their technology and read;"
  • A default adventure for Atlantis that will still (hopefully) have plot twists and surprises for players who have seen the movie;
  • Ideas for adapting Atlantis to Eberron and Dragonlance, with or without Ravenloft attached;
  • And more!


The full write-up for Atlantis is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/510757/The-Lost-Empire-of-Atlantis-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?view_as_pub=1

Our fundraiser for Catholic Legal Immigration Services is here: https://gofund.me/628989d5 There doesn't seem to be a place for comments, so please email or message us with your Listener's Choice nominee after donating.

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction

7:32 The Lord

43:10 The Land

54:15 Dread Possibilities

1:18:11 Aging Up (CW racism, slavery, colonialism, inbreeding)

1:22:23 Aging Up ends

1:35:36 Parting Thoughts

1:59:59 D’s Parting Thoughts

Content Advisory for D's Journal (details on content advisories can be found on Facebook, Tumblr, and Patreon)

Corpses (major), racism (moderate), colonialism (minor), slavery (minor), genocide (minor)

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords

YouTube: @wonderfulworldofdarklord



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 30: Who Framed Roger Rabbit13 Jan 202502:16:37

CONTENT ADVISORY: Because this episode is based on Who Framed Roger Rabbit, it takes place in Langeles, a fantasy version of Los Angeles. I don't think we even mention fire, but if the Los Angeles wildfires hit at all close to home for you, we're putting a detailed content advisory that includes all the neighborhoods and landmarks mentioned at the end of the show notes, with separate entries for the episode proper and the D fiction (so you can skip one or both if you're less worried about content and want to avoid spoilers).

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! We're reaching back into our childhood nightmares and pulling out one of our favorite Disney villains: Judge Doom. He's made of pure nightmare fuel, but he's also a man living his best life who only makes sense in a world with living cartoons, so adapting him was a challenge. For Doom, though, we'll take up that challenge, because he's magnificent. Better than Goofy. Topics discussed include:

  • The obscure creature that allows us to adapt toons into D&D terms;
  • More than a minute of Eberron, including how to do Who Framed Roger Rabbit purely as an Eberron game if you choose;
  • A beloved Disney movie we're not planning to adapt into a full domain that you can easily plunder for Roger Rabbit NPCs and storylines;
  • Ideas for running a years-long Toontown/Runetown game with Judge Doom as the spider at the center of the web without it becoming repetitive;
  • and more!


The full writeup for Runetown is available on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/507839/Runetown-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?affiliate_id=241770


Timestamps

0:00 Content Advisory

1:26 Introduction

9:08 The Lord

45:13 The Land

1:06:17 Dread Possibilities

1:21:42 Aging Up (CW discussion of drug use and erotic body horror)

1:29:15 Aging Up ends

1:42:54 Parting Thoughts

2:10:47 D’s Parting Thoughts

Content Advisory for D's Journal (details on content advisories can be found on Facebook, Tumblr, and Patreon)

Racism against a group analogous to immigrants (major), death (minor)

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords

YouTube: @wonderfulworldofdarklord

GENERAL CONTENT ADVISORY

  • Discussion of the destruction of a neighborhood and its residents (Toontown/Runetown)
  • Conspiracy theories involving the Langeles government (primarily Judge Doom, but since it's noir there's a lot of corruption)
  • Discussion of Burbank, the Golden Triangle, Bel Air, and Beverly Hills


D'S JOURNAL CONTENT ADVISORY (SPOILERS)

  • A concert hall reminiscent of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA is targeted for sabotage. Nothing comes of it, but D worries about the possibility of it collapsing with people inside.
  • D is briefly exposed to a blast of heat in Toontown that melts her to a puddle before she can reform again.


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
The Peddler's Tales, Episode 3: Shan Yu30 Dec 202401:05:57

Happy Holidays, and welcome to the Peddler's Tales! In a Yuletide miracle, we are finally joined by the powerful, the pleasurable, the indestructible Kris Newton as we discuss one of our favorite non-darklord Disney villains: Shan Yu. Topics discussed include:

  • Why Shan Yu not only doesn't work as a darklord, but would be seriously diminished as a villain if you made him one;
  • The existential threat Shan Yu poses to the PCs, the innocent bystanders of Ravenloft, and even the darklords themselves;
  • Rachel's unquenchable Shan Yu thirst, and how you can use it to make Shan Yu a thirst trap, uneasy ally, or living moral dilemma for your PCs;
  • More ways to tie Shan Yu into Vecna: Eve of Ruin than anyone expected;
  • And more!


Full writeups for Shan Yu, the doll, and the falconing glove are available for free on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/118783518/

There doesn't seem to be a video of just Shan Yu's deleted scene on YouTube, but you can find all the deleted scenes here: https://youtu.be/5zOXI2cnbDE?si=H__nwuc7mtDOuP7i

You can find Kris at the now-completed Gameable Podcast (https://gameabledisneypodcast.tumblr.com/), the now-active MegaDumbCast (https://megadumbcast.podbean.com/ and https://www.patreon.com/megadumbcast), and occasionally on the still-active Hard Choices (https://hardchoices.libsyn.com/).

All music recordings are in the public domain (mark 1.0) and are licensed through https://musopen.org:

Arabian Dance, from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, via the European Archive

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-draw and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
Episode 29: A Christmas Carol13 Dec 202401:56:17

Welcome to Wonderful World of Darklords! In this episode, we're looking at a property that Disney has adapted for both Mickey Mouse and the Muppets: A Christmas Carol. At its heart, A Christmas Carol is a story of redemption--so how do we square that with darklords, who are fundamentally irredeemable? By sending your PCs into a trippy journey through the past, present, and future of a character who isn't the darklord, that's how. Topics discussed include:

  • Why we didn't choose Scrooge as our darklord, instead opting for another miser whose prison comes with hate;
  • Concrete examples of past, present, and future visions for Scrooge, a beloved canon NPC, and two PC archetypes;
  • Ways for your non-Charisma PCs to help Scrooge be a better person (because even the Ghost of Christmas Future had an astronomical Intimidation bonus);
  • Various levels of dreamscape weirdness, from "we're literally just doing A Christmas Carol" to "we just cited the last two episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion;"
  • And more!


The full write-up for Scrooge and Marley is available for free on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/504721/Scrooge-and-Marley-A-Ravenloft-Domain-of-Dread?view_as_pub=1

The Verge Games Christmas Carol adventure that we "borrowed" much of this domain from is available on their website: https://vergegames.org/all-products/p/christmas-carol-adventure-book

The Nightmare Lands, which we "borrowed"...pretty much the rest of this domain from, is available on DM's Guild: The Nightmare Lands (2e) - Wizards of the Coast | Ravenloft | AD&D 2nd Ed. | AD&D 2nd Ed. | Ravenloft | Dungeon Masters Guild You

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction

08:27 The Lord

31:33 The Land

40:36 Dread Possibilities

1:27:42 Parting Thoughts

1:50:51 D’s Parting Thoughts

Content Advisory for D's Journal (details on content advisories can be found on Facebook, Tumblr, and Patreon)

Gaslighting (major), death (major)

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), performed by Edward Neeman

Chopin Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 (land theme), performed by Luke Faulkner

Rachmaninoff Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 - 2. Prélude in C sharp minor (Dread Possibilities), performed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (parting thoughts), performed by Luke Faulkner


Dialog for Yensid was written by Azalin Rex himself: http://www.tumblr.com/darklordazalin

The Wonderful World of Darklords logo was designed by Halite Jones, whom you can find on Tumblr and Instagramhttps://www.tumblr.com/halite-jones and http://www.instagram.com/insta_halite


Contact us on:

Gmail: wonderfulworldofdarklords@gmail.com

Facebook: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Tumblr: @wonderfulworldofdarklords

Patreon: www.patreon.com/WonderfulWorldofDarklords

YouTube: @wonderfulworldofdarklord



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-wonderful-world-of-darklords/donations
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