It’s A Mimic!

Latest Episodes:

E016 - Dungeon Mastery - That's So Random! May 14, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of the It's A Mimic! podcast, the panel of Dungeon Masters tears open their random tables and digs around in the concepts found inside. Dungeons and Dragons has random encounters and random items baked right into it, and the DM's discuss out how to use them and still keep the game balanced.

SUMMARY: From using random encounters to make your world feel more realistic, to using random item tables to cater to players' wants and needs, the Dungeon Masters sink their teeth into the randomness of life in D&D. Adam pitches the idea of using random tables for more than just combat encounters, Terry talks about his favourite technique for rebalancing overpowered weapons and items, and Dan coughs. And coughs and coughs. Dammit, Dan, go to the doctor! The DM's also push the idea that random encounters are great opportunities for players to explore the characters they had envisioned during character creation, and for Dungeon Masters to use weather, omens, and strange creatures to flesh out your world.

Shout Outs: Lady Tiefling

Available On:
iTunes | Spotify | Podbean | YouTube

Don’t forget to Like/Follow/Subscribe/Whatever when you listen!

Links: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Email: info@itsamimic.com

Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe
Shout Out Music by: Isaac Callender
Logo by: Kate Skidmore

E015 - Mob Mentality - Orcs: The Sword and Board Horde May 07, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of It's A Mimic! the panel of Dungeon Masters takes a good hard look at Orc society, what makes them tick, and why they are such versatile Dungeons and Dragons villains. Both superstitious and militaristic, Orcs clearly deserve to be the subject of the first Mob Mentality episode. From player strategies to DM tactics to flavourful lore, this conversation covers a wide variety of topics around Orcs and their penchant for large-scale murderhobo-ism.

SUMMARY: When the DM's sit down to tackle Dan's favourite horde in D&D 5th Edition, they cover more than just combat and tactics. They look at motivations and potential social encounters with the semi-nomadic humanoids and touch briefly upon the Orc pantheon. Terry encourages everyone to think about the green meanies in ways beyond their simple stupidity and anger issues. The Dungeon Masters also put their heads together to create scenarios where Orcs can be effective at nearly every level and challenge even higher-tiered players. Listen in to hear about how Orcs are both classic tropes and under-appreciated warriors in everyone's favourite TTRPG!

Shout Outs: @dnd.coalition

Available On:
iTunes | Spotify | Podbean | YouTube

Don’t forget to Like/Follow/Subscribe/Whatever when you listen!

Links: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Email: info@itsamimic.com

Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe
Shout Out Music by: Isaac Callender
Logo by: Kate Skidmore

E014 - Class: Full Potential - Bards: In it for the Lute Apr 28, 2019

Show notes

This week, the Dungeon Masters turn the conversation to Bards and break down the different class features and the general strengths and weaknesses of everyone's favourite Dungeons and Dragons minstrel class. They look closely at College of Lore, College of Valor, and College of Whispers and the unique opportunities these subclasses may offer. From the class's roleplay tropes to the spellcasting options to the unique builds that run counter to basic bardic conventions, this episode covers a multitude of different aspects of this amazing D&D class.

SUMMARY: In this episode on Bards, each of Dungeon Masters tears into a subclass. Adam is amazingly surprised to see how powerful College of Valor turned out to be in the Player's Handbook, Dan explains why College of Lore is the most iconic of the subclasses for Bards, and Terry pitches College of Whispers as an amazing underworld alternative if you don't want to play a Rogue. There's a clarification of a class feature's confusing wordings before the group moves on to their own personal builds beyond the standard medieval bardic stereotype. By the end of the episode they've looked at how a bard can fight in melee, play the political landscape, or utilize foul language in the name of good. Also, Adam sincerely apologies for his joke.

Shout Outs: @thechicfey

Available On:
iTunes | Spotify | Podbean | YouTube

Don’t forget to Like/Follow/Subscribe/Whatever when you listen!

Links: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website

Email: info@itsamimic.com

Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe
Shout Out Music by: Isaac Callender
Logo by: Kate Skidmore

E013 - Class: Full Potential - Barbarians: All the Rage Apr 23, 2019

Show notes

EXCERPT: This week brings the first of many episodes that focus on classes and the panel of Dungeon Masters has decided to begin with Barbarians! Specifically focusing on Path of the Totem Warrior, Path of the Berserker, and Path of the Battlerager, the three DM's look at both lore and mechanics, as well as how they would use the class in creative ways.

SUMMARY: At first glance the Barbarian seems pretty straightforward, and Terry is on record as disliking the class in general, but when they roll up their sleeves and start digging into the different flavours of some of the subclasses from the Player's Handbook and Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide the Dungeon Masters find some new and fun inspiration based on the mechanics and the overall lore in 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. Setting aside the tropes, but embracing the abilities, Dan digs into why he loves his dozens of half-orc barbarian characters named Oskar, Adam discusses the huggiest barbarian of all time, and Terry starts to admit that maybe he's wrong about this class if he can set aside the idea of Conan.

Shout Outs: @4d6_drop_lowest

Available On:
iTunes | Spotify | Podbean | YouTube

Don’t forget to Like/Follow/Subscribe/Whatever when you listen!

Links: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Email: info@itsamimic.com

Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe
Shout Out Music by: Isaac Callender
Logo by: Kate Skidmore

E012 - Worldbuilding - In the Beginning… Apr 16, 2019

Show notes

In the first Worldbuilding episode, the Dungeon Masters do their best to stay on topic as they tear into the idea of campaign preparation from different angles. When discussing the idea of prepping a new campaign, the panel focuses on how to get ready mentally for both homebrew campaigns and published modules, how to prep magic items and NPC's when thinking about plot hooks, and what good starting locations should include. With a focus on how DM’s should think about gearing up for Session One, different philosophies clash and things get heated!

SUMMARY: This episode zooms in on how to get your world off the ground in the early days and different ways to approach the beginning of your campaign. Dan talks about why knowing geography early is so important, Terry discusses how he thinks about pre-campaign prep as climate vs. weather, and Adam asks how much prep is too much prep for Session One. They go off topic to explore pantheon creation briefly before weighing player motivations against plot hooks, and how to listen to what the players are actually saying without saying it aloud. Out of the blue, Terry also touches on the concept of false agency and Adam decides to derail the whole conversation to pull at that thread. The end of the episode turns to the trope of starting campaigns in taverns, what purposes those taverns serve, and what some other options may be.

Available On:
iTunes | Spotify | Podbean | YouTube

Don’t forget to Like/Follow/Subscribe/Whatever when you listen!

Links: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Email: info@itsamimic.com

Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe
Shout Out Music by: Isaac Callender
Logo by: Kate Skidmore

E011 - Lore - Forgotten Realms: Fantasizing with Friends Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

With the discussion about pillars of Dungeons & Dragons wrapped up, the panel of DM's decides to look into WHY people play D&D as opposed to other games. The first broad topic is determining what defines the fantasy genre, what it makes it so attractive, and what draws the hosts to this roleplaying game, specifically the Forgotten Realms setting. As the conversation moves to the details of Forgotten Realms, the Dungeon Masters discuss what the most interesting pieces of the Forgotten Realms lore actually are, and what they find the most inspiring about them. From nostalgia and inspiration to comparing the differences between gritty campaigns, high fantasy campaigns, and low fantasy campaigns, this episode covers a wide variety of topics and often goes completely off the rails!

SUMMARY: There is a lot to unpack in the fantasy genre, D&D, and Forgotten Realms, and as Terry and Adam drill Dan on the specifics, they learn a few shocking details about Dan's improv poetry skills and his preference for vampire sex games. The Dungeon Masters touch on fantasy inspirations, including Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian, A Song of Ice and Fire, Dracula, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Magic the Gathering, Anne Rice novels, Lord of the Rings, Critical Role, World of Warcraft, Star Trek, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, The Dark Tower, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion Warhammer, Harry Potter, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Norse, Celtic, and Greek mythologies, Pathfinder, Scott Lynch novels, The Belgariad, Discworld, Piers Anthony books, The Dresden Files, D&D video games, R. A. Salvatore novels, and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. The conversation then moves on to D&D specifically, covering some books and campaign settings (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, Storm King's Thunder, Tyranny of Dragons, Dungeon of the Mad Mage, Tomb of Annihilation, Tales of the Yawning Portal, Death House and Curse of Strahd, Dark Sun, Greyhawk, Eberron, and Expedition to the Barrier Peaks), and then taking a look at the Forgotten Realms, specifically The Spellplague, the two Sunderings, Elminster, Drizzt Do'Urden, Mordenkainen and The Circle of Eight, Toril, Faerun, Evermeet, Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter, Undermountain, The Underdark, Netheril, Lolth, Mystra, Cyric, The Many Arrows Clan, The Lord's Alliance, the Elf/Drow conflict, Thay/Rashemen conflict, Szass Tam, Acererak, Vecna, The Regalia of Evil, The Star Stone, The Deck of Many Things, The Sunsword, Dragons, Mindflayers, and Halflings.

Shout Outs: @dungeons_and_maps

Available On:
iTunes | Spotify | Podbean | YouTube

Don’t forget to Like/Follow/Subscribe/Whatever when you listen!

Links: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Email: info@itsamimic.com

Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe
Shout Out Music by: Isaac Callender
Logo by: Kate Skidmore

M001/E010 - Mailbag of Holding 1 - The Purple Saxophone Apr 02, 2019

Show notes

The very first Mailbag of Holding episode hits with 20 questions rolled on random tables that the Dungeon Masters address, including their advice for DM's and players, their experiences playing, and even their personal lives. From old school monsters to TPK's to 6th Edition, this episode has a little bit of everything and lives up to the promise that on the It's A Mimic! podcast, you never know what you're going to get! The Dungeon Masters even cover beer, sex, and shadowy government organizations! Don't miss this episode!

The questions were brought to you by:

@alexander_anotherskip_davis

@allnaturaltwenties

@amature_box_01

@bendpadon

@benskene

@bryce.carl

@closetgamers

@dndream_03

@dorianmikulan

@greydaze511

@hudson_wight_99

@kind_of_a_rarity

@live4hisglory

@_multi_coloured_

@_rollordie_

@rustystyrofoam

@rwbysinister

@sirmikeb

... and Adam's brother, Dave.

Thank you all so much for participating! If you require further explanation, have a follow up question, or want to ask something completely new, feel free to contact us to have your question added to the random tables!

Shout Outs: @inspirationandselflove_

Available On:
iTunes | Spotify | Podbean | YouTube

Don’t forget to Like/Follow/Subscribe/Whatever when you listen!

Links: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Email: info@itsamimic.com

Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe
Shout Out Music by: Isaac Callender
Logo by: Kate Skidmore

X001 - IT'S NOT A MIMIC! - IT'S A WIZARD'S TOWER!!! Apr 01, 2019

Show notes

APRIL FOOLS!!! Just as most mimics look like chests and most episodes look well-researched, this Monday looks relatively normal. But you should know better by now, Constant Listeners. For today is the holiday made for mimics everywhere, and this panel of DM’s love giving when you least expect it. So here’s a short, quick, special episode about how to design and create a wizard’s tower for your campaign. The Dungeon Masters of the It’s A Mimic podcast bring you a brief breakdown of how to create your own wizard’s tower.

From magic spells to arcane secrets, wizards’ towers are full of all sorts of zany wackiness that defies all logic. In this special episode of the Dungeons & Dragon 5th Edition podcast about wizard’s towers, the DM’s work together to do some stuff. Let’s be honest. No one is reading this far into the show notes, and I’m just sitting here talking to myself. I damn-well know Dan and Terry won’t be looking this over, so I could honestly ramble on about giants or nilbogs or whether or not Tiamat breastfeeds her young, and no one would ever know. I mean, dragons are - canonically - warm blooded creatures, but they also lay eggs. Considering that the goddess of evil dragons literally lives in her own supernatural spawning pits between two layers of the Nine Hells, she obviously devotes quiet a lot of time to spawning. You’ll note that it’s not called a “mating pit”, but a “spawning pit”. In theory, it’s a maternity ward, which is good because I don’t want to think about what bumping uglies with a gargantuan five-headed scaly evil hell-bitch looks like, so I’m going to focus on what I assume must be the softer side of Tiamat. You know, the side that houses her compassion for her chromatic dragons and the wyrmlings that she obviously cares for. Wait a minute. Wait an effing minute. Do dragons lactate? If they’re some sort of mammal/reptile crossbreed, do they even have mammary glands? And how MANY do you think they have? Look, I figure that this is just another random Adam ramble where no one is paying attention anyway, but on the off chance that you actually did read this far, leave an out of context number in the comments below that indicate the number of boobies you think a dragon goddess might have, and don’t tell anyone what you’re talking about. Especially Dan and Terry. It’ll be funny. And also, have yourself a lovely April Fool’s Day and enjoy this special episode of It’s A Mimic! Also, the first paragraph was bullshit, too. I lied. Isn’t D&D fun?

Available On:

Spotify | Podbean | iTunes | YouTube | Other listening platforms coming soon!

Don’t forget to Like/Follow/Subscribe/Whatever when you listen!

Links: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Email: info@itsamimic.com

Music by: Cory Wiebe
Shout Out Music by: Isaac Callender

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

E009 - Roleplaying - Party Politics Mar 26, 2019

Show notes

This is a more mature episode that handles sensitive subject matter as it tries to address the delicate nature of issues at the table and personality differences among players. To wrap up the broad strokes of the final tier, the panel of Dungeon Masters covers the concepts of social contracts, Session Zero, and respect. Other than the game mechanics and RPG flavour, what are the logistics that should be addressed to keep the game fun and allow everyone to feel comfortable and free to take roleplaying risks? The DM's attempt to open the conversation up this week and give their opinions on many of the taboo subjects that have historically been tied to the game.

SUMMARY: After addressing meta-gaming in the last episode, the DM's turn their attention from the game to the table, and discuss the ideas of boundaries, morality, listening, and accountability while looking at the more unpleasant aspects of RPG's and Dungeon & Dragons. From financial limitations to challenging DM's about rules, from penalizing bards to making faux pas while playing other genders, and from misreading sexual encounters to dealing with problem players, this long episode covers a plethora of topics that cause static at a lot of tables. The three Dungeon Masters work together to shed some light on how they handle problematic scenarios and the best practices for resolving some of the issues including when and how you should address things that make you uncomfortable, whether it's okay to quit your group, and how different tables handle different subject matter.

Available On: iTunes | Spotify | Podbean | YouTube

Don’t forget to Like/Follow/Subscribe/Whatever when you listen!

Links: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Email: info@itsamimic.com

Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe
Shout Out Music by: Isaac Callender
Logo by: Kate Skidmore

E008 - Roleplaying - Player vs Character Mar 19, 2019

Show notes

What do you know and what does your character know, and where do those knowledge bases overlap? The conversation this week points our Dungeon Masters toward one of the most controversial topics in the D&D community: Meta-Gaming. They tackle the pros and cons before moving on to discuss character motivations and how they may be contrary or complementary to player motivations. The podcast wraps by talking about immersion in the world and how to achieve it.

SUMMARY: During this episode of the It's A Mimic! podcast, the Dungeon Masters discuss when, why, and how characters can make logical estimates outside of the mechanical aspects of the game and breathe within the imaginary realm of their respective game. Adam decides to stick his neck out and defend Meta-Gamers, and then Dan turns the conversation to what players and DMs should do if a character's objections are wrapped up and their story naturally ends mid-campaign. They start digging deeper and Terry addresses the idea that roleplaying should affect alignment and not the other way around. Other questions that get answered are: What ways are there for your character think about the mechanics smiting or sneak attacking? When can you use Arcana, History, Nature, Religion checks to determine a character's knowledge? How long should conversations be between characters be in the middle of combat? Should you keep secrets from your Dungeon Master? How often should you use magic items? How much does a player's decision-making process affect the campaign?

Shout Outs: @20sidedlife

Available On: iTunes | Spotify | Podbean | YouTube

Don’t forget to Like/Follow/Subscribe/Whatever when you listen!

Links: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Email: info@itsamimic.com

Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe
Shout Out Music by: Isaac Callender
Logo by: Kate Skidmore