S7E7 Death of a Dungeon Master

Mysteries to Die For

Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.

I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. These are arrangements, which means instead of word-for-word readings, you get a performance meant to be heard. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.

This is Season 7, Games People Play. Games are about competition conducted according to rules with participants working toward a goal. Games are a part of every culture and are one of the oldest forms of social interaction and engagement. Games can be fun, challenging and exhilarating. They can also be intense, cutthroat, and lethal. This season, our authors have fashioned deadly games and unscrupulous villains to test your detection skills.

This is Episode 7, Dungeons and Dragons is the featured game. This is Death of a Dungeon Master by Erica Obey

PRE-ROLL

Erica’s currently hard at work on THE DECOVERLEY RIDDLE, the sequel to THE BROOKLYN NORTH MURDER In the meantime, why not check out another Watson & Doyle adventure, “Dead Man’s Switch,” in Mysteries to Die For Season 6: Move it or Lose It?

DELIBERATION

The fates were not smiling upon Darrell “The Dungeonator” Mahoney this day. But good fortune shines upon him with the sharp wits of Watson, Doyle, Mack Byrne and us. Here are the characters we have met, in order of introduction.

• Gorgo Manglebit, the gnome who was more interested in ratings than Darrell

• Alidor Silverleaf, the elf who likewise was in it for the viewers

• Tyrion Quickster, the halfling who was out $5,000 for designing his avatar

• Trixie the Mage Trainee, who was getting harassed for her deal with the pet gem start-up

• Tim the Enchanter, the head of the IT Lab who is rumored to be a hacker in his spare time

• Percy “Catstaff” Giles, the professor of poetry and reportedly powerful bard

Here is what we know:

• Mary Watson and Doyle were called to the auditorium by an alert indicating an IT issue at the D&D event. Tim had set up and was digitally running the event and reported the system crash was caused by too many people signing on simultaneously.

• Darrell was reading the introduction to the dungeon when Catstaff Zoom-bombed the event, challenging Darrell to a riddle off.

• Darrell was angry and responded by attempting to unplug the power to the virtual audience. The cord he grabbed was stripped to the wires. He died on the stage by electrocution, not by mocking as the audience really did believe.

• Tim testified that The Dungeonator and Catstaff were bitter rivals. The 176 videos supported his story.

• Percy “Catstaff” Giles testified he had moved past the rivalry and hadn’t interacted with The Dungeonator in over two years. He denied Zoom-bombing Darrell and killing him by any method.

• The gnome, elf, halfling, and mage trainee were sitting at the table on stage during the event. All had reason to be upset with Darrell.

• The video of Darrell’s death had a backdoor to a virtual world where some character had been taking bets on the outcome of the D&D game.

Byrne doesn’t have bard dread, but he does have handcuffs. On whom should he use them?

PRINT AND E-BOOK

A reminder to mystery readers, check out our print and e-books. The companion book for Season 4, 5 and 6 are available in e-book and trade paperback from online retailers. This season’s book is being released in two parts. Part one released in March 2024 and Part two in September. Buy one for you and one for a mystery lover you love. The dimes and quarters from books sales do support the podcast and keep Jack in tacos and headphones.

Season anthologies on Amazon

ABOUT Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a role-playing game originally developed and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. First publication was in 1974, which means this is the 50th anniversary of the game that launched the modern role-playing industry. According to Wikipedia, D&D was an advancement in traditional wargaming that allowed players to create their own characters and take on adventures in a fantasy setting. Other games on the market in the mid to late 1900s had elements of character-based role playing, game-world simulations, fantasy scenes designed. D&D was the first to put it all together. Early on, D&D experienced criticism from some religious groups for alleged promotion of witch craft, murder, satanic theme, and the presence of barely contained breasts. While the game made changes to reduce the controversial content, the controversy worked to increase sales in defiance of the outrage. D&D is playable now on table tops and online.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#

https://dnd.wizards.com/

ABOUT Erica Obey

www.ericaobey.com

Erica Obey is the author of The Brooklyn North Murder, the first full-length Watson & Doyle mystery, as well as five other novels set in the Hudson Valley, including the award-winning The Curse of the Braddock Brides. Erica is the Past President of the MWA-NY chapter, and a frequent reviewer and judge. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and published academic work on female folklorists before she decided she’d rather be writing the stories herself.

WRAP UP

That wraps this episode of Mysteries to Die For. Support our show by subscribing, telling a mystery lover about us, and giving us a five-star review. Check out our website TGWolff.com/Podcast for links to this season’s authors.

Mysteries to Die For is hosted by TG Wolff and Jack Wolff. Death of a Dungeon Master was written by Erica Obey. Music and production are by Jack Wolff. Episode art is by TG Wolff. Join us next week for a Toe Tag, which is the first chapter from a fresh release in the mystery, crime, or thriller genre. Then come back in two weeks for our next original story, Going for All the Marbles by Debra H. Goldstein where marbles is the featured game