Detentions and Dragons
178 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 75 ratingsWelcome to Detentions and Dragons, a podcast dedicated to introducing Dungeons and Dragons into the classroom experience!
Not a teacher? Don't worry! Hosts Josh and Matt are confident that new players, new Dungeon Masters, and fans of Dungeons and Dragons will find this enjoyable and informative as well!
Podcast updates biweekly weekly. We are off during the summer!
Detentions and Dragons is a proud member of the Block Party Podcast Network!!
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Episodes
Lesson # 28 - Spells and Dragons
March 12, 2018 07:00 - 54 minutes - 74.3 MBLesson # 28 Agenda Welcome to the Dungeon and Dragons sponsored by Detentions and Dragon first annual spelling bee! Listen as Josh spells the names of monsters from D&D lore! The competition is intense. And the stakes are even direr as Josh plays for his own job! Once that is over, Matt and Josh tackle spells and spell management. While one of the most robust and entertaining elements of D&D, understanding the premise, requirements, and management can be daunting for new DMs and players....
Lesson # 27 - Spring Break and Dragons
March 05, 2018 08:00 - 31 minutes - 42.9 MBLesson # 27 Agenda Grab your beach D20, put on your +1 Flip-Flops of Relaxing and join Josh and Matt as they celebrate the American school tradition of SPRING BREAK! In this lesson, Josh and Matt discuss how they integrate "Spring Break" into their classroom and club campaigns. Have your students' take a break from the dungeon delving life style and try one of their techniques to add a little variety to your main campaign. Beachcomber Chad makes his premiere appearance on the podcast. ...
Lesson # 26 - Potions and Dragons
February 26, 2018 08:00 - 37 minutes - 51.9 MBLesson # 26 Agenda In this lesson, Josh and Matt kick off their shoes, sit back, and discuss potions in Dungeons and Dragons 5e. Are potions a relatively simple mechanic? Yes. Drinking a potion takes and action and then the player character is imbued with the effects. Done. However, there are a lot of fun ways to enhance your campaign by providing players an opportunity to use potions! A Friday night recording session means a lot of random discussions which include but are not limited to...
Lesson # 25 - Wizards v. Sorcerers and Dragons
February 19, 2018 08:00 - 47 minutes - 65.1 MBLesson # 25 Agenda Two spellcasters enter the ring. Only one will exit. On this lesson Josh and Matt discuss wizards and sorcerers. Sure they are synonyms in layman's terms, but in D&D 5E their are stark and powerful differences. Is magic powered by brains or bloodline better? Find out! Matt rants about random things. Matt also thinks Josh might have told his greatest lie yet. Hint: It is about random in-game effects. Gold Star Winner: Teachers. It is a difficult time in the school...
Lesson # 24 - Trouble Makers and Dragons
February 12, 2018 08:00 - 41 minutes - 56.8 MBLesson # 24 Agenda Roll a D20 and make a perception check. OK. With that roll, you see a figure off in the distance. It is menacing, sneaky, and attention seeking. You have a right to be cautious. The being you see is... THE TROUBLE MAKER! On this lesson, Josh and Matt discuss strategies to work with trouble makers, players who intentionally or unintentionally disrupt the game with unsportsmanlike conduct. Player conduct management is a difficult and often times unavoidable. However, J...
Lesson # 23 - Healing and Dragons
February 05, 2018 08:00 - 33 minutes - 45.7 MBLesson # 23 Agenda Your players' characters have won the battle but few encounters end without a scar or two. In this lesson, Josh and Matt talk about healing in D&D 5E. The concept is basic but foundational to a player unfamiliar with tabletop RPGs. Delirium sets in as Matt tries to stave off the flu enough to make it through a lesson. Does he succeed? Overall, yes. But his Robert Frost bit was the price we all paid for this lesson. Smeagle Bobson gets a Mountain Dew can to the head. ...
Lesson # 22 - Homebrewed Items and Dragons
January 29, 2018 08:00 - 29 minutes - 40.2 MBNote: When recording, Matt forgot the AC adapter to his mixer. As a result the whole episode was recorded using a single USB microphone. If this is your first episode, try any of our other lessons for better audio quality. Matt's bad! However, this makeshift solution fits into our lesson's theme: Homebrewed Items. Agenda for Lesson # 22 In this lesson, Josh and Matt discuss ideas regarding when and why to make customized items for your school or personal campaign. They also discuss som...
Lesson # 21 - Movie Day and Dragons
January 22, 2018 08:00 - 1 hour - 85 MBLesson # 21 Agenda On this lesson of Detentions and Dragons, Matt is joined by a special guest and substitute co-host Rachel Nimlos, a former graduate of Matt's high school and an alumna of his D&D club! The topic? Well, it is a favorite of student's and a nice quick lesson plan for ill or busy teachers: Movie Day. Matt and Rachel review Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire and discuss its value as inspiration for your campaign or for your students. Spoiler: Patrick Stewart is a drago...
Lesson # 20 - Conditions and Dragons
January 15, 2018 08:00 - 38 minutes - 53 MBLesson # 20 Agenda Are you feeling ill? Stuffy nose? Are you rolling with disadvantage? Well, we here at Detentions and Dragons are here to unconditionally help you get over what ails you: Status Conditions. -In this lesson of Detentions and Dragons, Josh and Matt discuss conditions, status debuffs, that affect how characters and creatures interact in the game. -D&D Club Shout Out: Bremer Dungeon Crawlers in Queensland, Australia. -Dedicated to the Paladins of Sick Kick Flips. ...
Lesson # 19 - Ability Checks and Dragons
January 08, 2018 08:00 - 45 minutes - 62 MBLesson # 19 Agenda I want to jump across a canyon. Ability check. I want to break through that door. Ability Check. I want convince someone a normal duck is actually a unicorn. ...ability check. This week, Josh and Matt discuss the basics of ability checks in D&D 5E. They also review their tips to manage ability checks in their game. (i.e. no one wants 2 hours of perception checks) Gold Star Winner: RPG Crunch Support Community. A new Facebook group dedicated to providing info about us...
Lesson # 18 - New Year's Resolutions and Dragons
January 01, 2018 08:00 - 28 minutes - 38.9 MBLesson # 18 Agenda New Year's Resolutions: -Drink more water. -Get swole. -Upgrade my DM game. In this lesson, Josh and Matt talk about things they want to do to be better teacher DMs in the 2018 year. Exit Ticket: Item Review - Folding Boat. Is it a boat? Yes. Is it wondrous? Yes. Is it a canoe or a dinghy? Up for debate... We hope your 2018 is filled with many exciting D&D Adventures!
Lesson # 17 - Story Time and Dragons
December 25, 2017 08:00 - 1 hour - 120 MBLesson # 17 Agenda To celebrate the holiday, Matt gives Josh the present he wants most: a chance to talk about fun stories from his D&D games. Listen as Josh and Matt ramble on and embellish their fun stories and inside jokes from their personal campaigns around the fireplace! Music: Brother Christmas by Lemon Yellow Hayes (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lemon_Yellow_Hayes/) Fireplace Sound Effects: hansende (https://freesound.org/people/hansende/sounds/263994/) Happy Holidays!! A...
Lesson # 16 - Holiday Themes and Dragons
December 18, 2017 08:00 - 32 minutes - 44 MBI need you to roll a...gingerbread check??! In this lesson, Josh and Matt discuss holiday world building tips and some recommendations regarding how to engage your students or players in the fantasy holiday setting. Important Update: Dice Drive. When you buy a set of dice from http://tabletoploot.com/ from Dec. 14th - Dec 26th 2017, they will donate two sets to a school group. Ultra rad. Smeagle Bobson returns. Weaselmas I guess could be a thing now.
Lesson # 15 - Pilot and Dragons
December 11, 2017 08:00 - 45 minutes - 62.3 MBLesson # 15 Agenda Boot up your flux capacitors, grab a snack, and head into the past with Josh and Matt. In this previously unreleased lesson, Josh and Matt meet to record their pilot episode of Detentions and Dragons. The theme: their top 5 tips for running at D&D game at school. Proto-Item Review: Matt and Josh review a few different items. Some pretty boring. Some pretty awesome! Thanks again for joining us on this trip down memory lane!
Lesson # 14 - Participation and Dragons
December 04, 2017 08:00 - 45 minutes - 61.9 MBLesson # 14 Agenda ... ... ...I don't want to write this summary. JK! In this lesson, Josh and Matt discuss techniques to encourage participation in your classroom or traditional D&D game. Again, it is hard to believe people wouldn't want to try, but it happens! Exit Ticket: Gold Star Winner - DM and Blogger @grand_dm. This person has been DMing for three decades and is filled with boundless knowledge to improve your game! Thanks for subscribing and the awesome iTunes reviews!
Lesson # 13 - Xanathar's Guide to Everything and Dragons
November 27, 2017 08:00 - 40 minutes - 56.1 MBLesson # 13 Agenda Josh and Matt discuss the pros (there are a lot) and cons (just a few) of the new D&D 5E resource book. Exit Ticket: Gold Star Winner - R.N.W for her awesome papercraft manipulatives for D&D. Adds a fun tangible dimension to any D&D game. Thanks for subscribing and the awesome iTunes reviews!
Lesson # 12 - Havoc and Dragons
November 20, 2017 08:00 - 39 minutes - 54.1 MBLesson # 12 Agenda Do you think D&D in the classroom is impossible? Well in this episode, Josh talks about how he makes the impossible possible through a modified D&D 5E system called Havoc. Matt is there too to ask questions. Josh discusses how his students develop important social, cognitive, and creativity skills through yearlong classroom collaborative story telling. Exit Ticket: Gold Star Winner - Matt and Josh give Will and Brian of The Dungeoncast Podcast a gold star. The Dunge...
Lesson # 11 - Loot and Dragons
November 13, 2017 08:00 - 44 minutes - 61 MBLesson # 11 Agenda -Loot. Is it pretend fantasy treasure? Yes. Do we still want it? You better believe it! In this episode, Josh and Matt discuss the gold and magic items players yearn for. -Matt and Josh discuss their philosophies behind loot distribution, including how loot can help provide player/student agency in your campaign. -Smeagle Bobson learns how to use a loot table. -Exit Ticket: Gold Star Winner - Polymorph Crafts. These artisans are providing D&D organizational suppli...
Lesson # 10 - Battle Basics and Dragons
November 06, 2017 08:00 - 44 minutes - 61.6 MBLesson # 10 Agenda -Back to Basics! Matt and Josh discuss the basics components and elements of battle in a Dungeons and Dragons 5e campaign. -Need to know about AC, attack rolls, and death saving throws? Josh and Matt review all of the mainstays of battle -Exit Ticket: Item Review. Matt and Josh discuss the Robe of Useful Items. It is kind of like the junk drawer in your kitchen. But you wear it. And sometimes it has a dog or a rowboat in it. -Thanks again for listening and subscrib...
Lesson # 9 - Spooky and Dragons
October 30, 2017 07:00 - 29 minutes - 40.7 MBLesson # 9 Agenda -It is Halloween time so let’s get spooky! Matt and Josh discuss tips on how to make your campaign a little spookier. -Spooky creatures, spooky narrative, spooky plot hooks. All the recommendations to make D&D spooky! -Exit Ticket: Item Review. Matt and Josh discuss the Bag of Devouring. It is like the Bag of Holding. Except.... it will try to eat you. Happy Halloween!
Lesson # 8 - Slang and Dragons
October 23, 2017 07:00 - 39 minutes - 55.2 MBLesson # 8 Agenda -Matt and Josh discuss some of the most useful Dungeons and Dragons vocabulary. Do they slay it? YASSSSSSSSS. (sorry not sorry about the annoying use of slang tbh) -Matt has a new passion and obsession: he wants him and Josh to become the Car Talk guys of Dungeons and Dragons. -Exit Ticket: New Hires. Our hosts welcome @heartless_pe to the international community of teacher DMs. You and your colleagues are going to be great!
Lesson # 7 - Economics and Dragons
October 16, 2017 07:00 - 1 hour - 87.5 MBLesson # 7 Agenda -Economics! There are only so many actions you can make in one turn. Matt and Josh discuss each player character and creature’s action economy. - Ever needed clarification on what you can do with a bonus action or reaction? Matt and Josh answer that question and many more. -This is the first time (and probably not the last time) Matt discusses why he hates the “Hide” action in 5e. -Exit Ticket: Gold Star. Our hosts award a gold star to Frances S (twitter handle: @hi...
Lesson # 6 - Dice and Dragons
October 09, 2017 07:00 - 47 minutes - 65.6 MBLesson # 6 Agenda -After an intense fifth lesson, Josh and Matt have a fun and light discussion on the different dice and their functions in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. -Matt has dumb but clever(?) names to help students find their dice more easily. -There are a lot of bad jokes and puns. Things fly off the rails a bit. Josh sometimes yells into the microphone. It is all in good fun though. -Exit Ticket: Gold Star. Our hosts award a gold star to Michael Mordor, fantasy miniatu...
Lesson # 5 - The First Day of Club and Dragons
October 02, 2017 07:00 - 35 minutes - 49.4 MBLesson # 5 Agenda -Josh and Matt discuss their most important topic to date: how to prepare for your first day of running Dungeons & Dragons at school. -They go over eight steps to follow to help increase your likelihood of success on that first day.Hint: These tips can also help new DMs or DMs introducing new players to the game. -Exit Ticket: Is the Bag of Holding a good item for your classroom or club campaign? -What is the Bag of Molding? -Remember: You can do anything with a D...
Lesson # 4 - Stealing and Dragons
September 25, 2017 07:00 - 34 minutes - 47.8 MBLesson # 4 Agenda -Josh and Matt discuss how begging, borrowing, and stealing (with permission) campaign ideas will help teacher DMs survive in the classroom setting. Note: These are helpful for any new DM! -They talk about excellent sources of free and purchasable campaigns and D&D modules available to DMs. -Exit Ticket: Matt passes back papers and the hosts award a gold star to The Raging Swan Press and their contributions to the gaming community. Note: At the time of recording, th...
Lesson # 3 - Pregenerated Characters and Dragons
September 18, 2017 07:00 - 46 minutes - 64.2 MBLesson # 3 Agenda -Josh and Matt discuss the benefits of using pre-generated character sheets for D&D in the classroom or club setting. -They discuss the best starting classes for new players. -They introduce helpful online resources to obtain pre-generated character sheets. -Exit Ticket: Is the cloak of Arachnida an effective item for your classroom D&D campaign? -This episode introduces what will probably (and sadly) be the reoccurring character, the Dutch-German boy.
Lesson # 2 - Materials and Dragons
September 11, 2017 08:00 - 28 minutes - 39.5 MBLesson # 2 - Lesson Plan -Josh and Matt discuss their top 5 (maybe more?) materials needed to run Dungeons and Dragons with students at school. -Exit Ticket: Is the Wand of Wonder a good item for your school campaign? -Matt really loves deals on folders. -This begins a trend of really bad puns. Help two teachers spread the word about teaching D&D to students by subscribing! Thanks!
Lesson # 1 - Syllabi and Dragons
September 04, 2017 04:47 - 36 minutes - 50.4 MBWelcome to Detentions and Dragons, a podcast dedicated to introducing Dungeons and Dragons into the classroom experience! Matt and Josh are highly educated and experienced American public school teachers who want to help provide tips and techniques to effectively run Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition with students. They are also confidant that new players, new dungeon masters, and fans of Dungeons and Dragons may enjoy this as well. Lesson # 1 Agenda -Josh and Matt discuss the importanc...