Dungeons & Daddies
Dungeons & Daddies is an actual play comedy podcast hosted by Matt Arnold, Anthony Burch, Will Campos, Beth May, and Freddie Wong. First aired in January 2019, the podcast has featured three main seasons, as well as some mini campaigns.
Description
Dungeons & Daddies is an unscripted comedy podcast recorded as an ongoing series of role-playing sessions. The first two seasons were loosely based on the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons; the third season uses the Call of Cthulhu game system. The podcast first aired in January 2019.Plot
During a trip to a soccer tournament, four suburban dads and their sons are teleported into the Forgotten Realms. When their children are kidnapped, the dads begin a quest to rescue them. Season two takes place 25 years later, in a post-apocalyptic version of San Dimas, California. The teenage grandchildren of season one's characters are tasked with finding their fathers, who have disappeared with little explanation. The early episodes of season two loosely follow a "Monster of the Week" format.Season three of Dungeons and Daddies is not connected to the characters or events of the first two seasons, and follows four citizens of Peachyville, a fictional 1950s suburban town. The season uses the Call of Cthulhu system, as opposed to D&D 5th edition used for the other seasons.
Cast
Being an actual-play podcast, the principal cast features not only players but a gamemaster responsible for game management and the portrayal of most minor characters. This role is taken by Anthony Burch in seasons one and two, and by Will Campos in season three. There are four other principal cast members, who play four dads in season one, and four of those characters' grandchildren in season two. Both seasons one and two have had guest players, though not all guests have had characters with standard player classes. Season three departed from the characters and events of the first season, and uses the Call of Cthulu game system.| Player | Season 1 character | Season 2 character | Season 3 character | Ref |
| Anthony Burch | Gamemaster | Gamemaster | Francis Farnsworth | |
| Freddie Wong | Glenn Close – Human Bard | Taylor Swift – Human Ranger | Tony Collette and Blake Lively | |
| Matt Arnold | Darryl Wilson – Human Barbarian | Lincoln "Link" Li-Wilson – Human Paladin | Kelsey Grammar | |
| Will Campos | Henry Oak – Human Druid | Normal "Norm" Oak – Human Cleric | Gamemaster | |
| Beth May | Ron Stampler – Human Rogue | Theresa "Scary" Marlowe – Human Warlock | Trudy Trout | |
| Ashly Burch | Dennis Anderson – Human Rogue | - | ||
| Jenna Stoeber | Ratticus Finch | - | ||
| Jimmy Wong | Jodie Foster – Human Paladin | Jodie Foster – Demon Oathbreaker Paladin | ||
| Elyse Willems | - | Erica Drippins |
Campaigns
Major and minor campaigns are listed below. Includes Patreon-only campaigns as well.| Campaign | Episodes | Game system | Game master | Release date | Ref |
| Season 1: Odyssey | 68.5 | D&D 5th edition | Anthony Burch | January 22, 2019 – October 19, 2021 | |
| At The Mountains of Dadness | 3 | Call of Cthulhu | Anthony Burch | November 1, 2019 – December 3, 2019 | |
| Gungans and Daddies: All That Jizz | 3 | Edge of the Empire | Anthony Burch | March 29, 2021 – June 22, 2021 | |
| Fetch Quest | 3 | D&D 5th edition | Will Campos | November 16, 2021 – December 13, 2021 | |
| Sons and Sonsability | 3 | Custom-made | Anthony Burch Amanda Shuckman | May 7, 2022 – July 3, 2022 | |
| Season 2: Quest | 53 | D&D 5th edition | Anthony Burch | January 25, 2022 – March 26, 2024 | |
| Season 3: The Peachyville Horror | 39 | Call of Cthulhu | Will Campos | May 7, 2024 – Dec 2, 2025 | |
| DADHAMMER 40,000 | 3 | Wrath and Glory | Matt Arnold | October 22, 2024 – February 7, 2025 |
Mini-campaign characters
Major and minor characters from the self-contained mini-campaigns.| Campaign | Player | Character |
| At The Mountains of Dadness | Freddie Wong | Meryl Streep - Actor |
| At The Mountains of Dadness | Matt Arnold | Robert Wilson - Line producer |
| At The Mountains of Dadness | Will Campos | Hildy Russet - Makeup girl / Journalist |
| At The Mountains of Dadness | Beth May | Stuart "Stud" Stampler - Carpenter |
| Gungans and Daddies: All That Jizz | Freddie Wong | Beef Himbo - Droid / Manager |
| Gungans and Daddies: All That Jizz | Matt Arnold | Yap Yappa Yowza - Yuzzum / Bass player |
| Gungans and Daddies: All That Jizz | Will Campos | Olp Mondez - Human / Kloohorn player |
| Gungans and Daddies: All That Jizz | Beth May | Gurdy Vanda - Pa'Lowick / Singer |
| Fetch Quest | Freddie Wong | Mochi - Cat |
| Fetch Quest | Matt Arnold | Donut - Truck stop dog |
| Fetch Quest | Anthony Burch | Beignet - Influencer dog |
| Fetch Quest | Beth May | Cookie - Spy dog |
| Sons and Sonsability | Freddie Wong | Fanny Mothman - Piano player |
| Sons and Sonsability | Matt Arnold | Cynthia Nixon née Mothman - Cowboy |
| Sons and Sonsability | Will Campos | Eunice Mothman - Sickly / Religious |
| Sons and Sonsability | Beth May | Elizabeth Mothman - Crazy / Dancer |
Reception
On the website Geekiary, Em Rowntree liked the podcast, noting that knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons was not necessary, the content was hilarious, and the technical production values were very high. Rowntree concluded, "Once you've listened to the podcast, you will feel the urge to share your love for it with others. You'll want to spread the word of its hilarity to your nearest and dearest."Cast member Freddie Wong said that early in the COVID pandemic, the podcast, which earns money via subscription and Patreon donations, lost a significant number of subscribers, many of whom had been laid off. However, by July 2020, the podcast had begun to regain subscribers.
As of February 2025, the podcast had over 66,000 supporters on Patreon and has been in the top 100 podcasts by listeners on Spotify.