D&D Launches 'Dungeon Masters' — Its First Official Actual Play in Years
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For the first time in years, Dungeons & Dragons has an official actual play series of its own. Dungeon Masters premiered on April 22nd on D&D’s YouTube channel with a two-episode Ravenloft campaign, and it’s shaping up to be something genuinely different from what the space has seen before.
What Is Dungeon Masters?
Dungeon Masters is Wizards of the Coast’s new official D&D actual play anthology series. Rather than being a third-party production, it’s fully produced by WotC — meaning the cast has access to 50 years of official lore, proper nouns, NPCs, and locations without needing to strip out licensed terminology.
The full cast of Dungeon Masters. Photo: Wizards of the Coast / Polygon
Each season pairs with a major D&D product release. Episode one of every season comes with a free playable encounter on D&D Beyond, while subsequent weekly encounters are unlocked through pre-ordering the companion book.
Episodes air weekly on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM PT on D&D’s YouTube channel.
Meet the Cast
The show is fronted by Jasmine Bhullar as Dungeon Master — a name already familiar to actual play fans from her work on DesiQuest and Dimension 20. Known for her “serious and traditional” DMing style among the community’s celebrity DMs, Bhullar is also a self-confessed Ravenloft superfan.
“I’m kind of a goth spooky — I was gonna say the B-word, but I’m not gonna say it — a goth spooky witch, myself. Ravenloft is absolutely my bag.” — Jasmine Bhullar, Variety
The party consists of:
- Professor Crem de la Crem — a Gnome Reanimator Artificer, played by Neil Newbon (Baldur’s Gate III)
- Zora Thornska — a Wood Elf Shadow Sorcery Sorcerer, played by Devora Wilde (Baldur’s Gate III)
- Eloin Emberleaf — a Wood Elf Winter Walker Ranger, played by Christian Navarro (13 Reasons Why, Forgotten Realms: Tears of Selûne)
- Wesley — a Drow Grave Domain Cleric, played by Mayanna Berrin (Dispatch, The Dungeon Run)
The Story: Ashes of the Black Rose
The first campaign, titled “Ashes of the Black Rose,” opens in the middle of combat in Baldur’s Gate. A fractured band of unlikely allies is facing a former assistant of Professor Crem who’s wielding dark magics beyond her power. Just when things look bleakest, the party is spirited away to Ravenloft — specifically to Sithicus, a Domain of Dread not included in 2021’s Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft.
The party becomes trapped in a nightmare ruled by the infamous fallen paladin Lord Soth, and what begins as a desperate search for a way home becomes an apocalyptic struggle as Soth’s fury threatens to consume the crumbling domain.
A Different Kind of Actual Play
Dungeon Masters isn’t trying to be Critical Role. Episodes run around one hour — a fraction of the four-hour marathons fans might expect — and they’re designed to drop you straight into the action rather than slowly building character dynamics.
The Dungeon Masters set. Photo: Wizards of the Coast / Polygon
The show leans cinematic: original score by five-time Grammy-nominated composer David Arkenstone, digital maps on the table for quick transitions, and on-screen visual overlays showing stats, rules, and spells to help new viewers follow along.
Jasmine Bhullar at the helm. Photo: Wizards of the Coast / Polygon
Bhullar frequently pauses action to drop backstory through visions and memories rather than extended dialogue — a necessary technique for fleshing out four characters in 60-minute episodes.
What sets the format apart is the Play-Along Pack integration. After each episode, a corresponding playable encounter drops on D&D Beyond. The first encounter is free for everyone; the rest require pre-ordering Ravenloft: The Horrors Within. The encounters aren’t designed to recreate exact scenes from the show, but to give you something you can actually run at your own table.
How Does It Compare?
D&D’s previous official actual play, Dice, Camera, Action!, had a much more spontaneous, improvisational vibe. By comparison, Dungeon Masters feels more structured and produced — which makes sense given the tight episode format and product tie-ins.
The chemistry among the cast is strong, particularly between Newbon and Wilde, and Navarro brings a welcome sense of mischief. But whether the show can embrace the chaotic, improvisational spirit of D&D alongside its corporate deliverables remains to be seen.
At its best, Dungeon Masters makes D&D feel approachable. It’s a love letter to the people around the table, and a proof of concept for a new kind of D&D content delivery — one that bridges what you watch on screen with what you play at home.
The Mists are swirling. The party is assembled. Come roll with them.
Watch: Dungeon Masters on YouTube | Official Trailer
Source: Polygon · Variety · D&D Beyond · Official Site