Here Are 5 D&D Podcasts Featuring Queer Characters You Should Be Listening To
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The resurgence in popularity of Dungeons & Dragons has been interesting to watch. What used to be something that geeks did in their basements is now everywhere, with many Dungeons & Dragons podcasts and shows with long and short campaigns and masterful storytelling that only a medium like D&D could allow for. And while queer representation can often feel like pandering, there are queer Dungeons & Dragons podcasts and shows that make it a point to represent queer people and queer storylines in a meaningful way.
Queer Dungeons & Dragons podcasts and characters are becoming easier to find, especially as more queer people get into the game.
We’ve put together a list of some of our favorite Dungeons & Dragons podcasts with queer characters. Here are five.
1. Critical Role Campaign Two
When people mention Dungeons & Dragons at this point, many probably think of Critical Role, for good reason. Led by Matthew Mercer as the Dungeon Master, the group of voice actors have exploded in popularity. Their campaigns are a commitment, to say the least. Campaign Two is 141 episodes that are around four hours long, for a total run time of 556 hours.
Campaign Two follows a group called the Mighty Nein and has several queer Dungeons & Dragons characters. Caleb Widogast is bisexual, Yasha Nyoodrin and Beauregard Lionett are both lesbians, and there are several queer background characters. All of Critical Role is available on YouTube.
2. Fantasy High
Dimension 20 has been running fun and interesting D&D campaigns over the years. Led by dungeon master Brennan Lee Mulligan, Fantasy High is the group’s debut campaign. It’s a coming-of-age high school story in which each of the players portrays some type of magical character entering their freshman year at the Aguefort Adventuring Academy.
Fantasy High, along with its sequel season and spin-off series The Seven, has various queer Dungeons & Dragons characters. Season One has Kristen Applebees (played by nonbinary actor and producer Ally Beardsley), coming to terms with her sexuality as a lesbian, and bisexual Fig Faethe as queer main characters. All of Fantasy High is also available on YouTube.
3. Not Another D&D Podcast: Bahumia
What’s interesting about Not Another D&D Podcast is the premise. While a lot of campaigns are about a group of heroes who save the world, the Bahumia campaign focuses on what happens after the world is saved, dealing with that fallout.
Unlike Critical Role and Dimension 20, the cast of NADDPOD is small, with three players plus Dungeon Master Brian Murphy (who is also a member of the Dimension 20 cast). Two of the three main characters are queer: Beverly Toegold is gay, and Moonshine Cybin is bisexual.
4. Fast Times at D&D High
The dungeon master of the campaign is Sephie Valentine, also known as Persephiroth around the internet. A lot of campaigns tend to be overly white, but Fast Times at D&D High sticks out because Sephie is a trans Black woman. She has also been involved with Dimension 20, playing one of the characters in The Seven.
5. The Unsleeping City
The Unsleeping City might have the same cast as Fantasy High since it features the Dimension 20 main cast, but it’s a completely different experience. The Unsleeping City takes place in a New York City that’s filled to the brim with magic. While there are many queer characters throughout the campaign, the main highlight is Ally Beardsley’s character Pete Conlan, a trans man.
The campaign even starts with his introduction, making it very clear that he’s trans. His character arc is never focused on that, though, which is really refreshing considering how trans characters are often portrayed. If you binge your way through The Unsleeping City, there’s a sequel season, The Unsleeping City: Chapter 2. You can also watch The Unsleeping City on YouTube.
