DUNGEON MASTERS

Jon Hamm stars as detective William Dear in my new fiction podcast, based on the 1979 disappearance of D&D player Dallas Egbert III.

Hi there! New podcast time. I created, wrote, and directed DUNGEON MASTERS, a new six-part fiction podcast starring Jon Hamm. It’s inspired by a dramatic true story from the early days of Dungeons & Dragons, when Texas private eye William Dear went searching for a missing young D&D player, Dallas Egbert III. It’s also drawn from my own interviews and meetings with Gary Gygax, the co-creator of the game, whom I profiled for Wired shortly before his death in 2008. I later turned that into a graphic novel, illustrated by Koren Shadmi, called RISE OF THE DUNGEON MASTER.

You can listen to the DUNGEON MASTERS podcast trailer now. Here’s the official blurb:

QCODE, a premium content studio and podcast network in partnership with executive producers Temple Hill, announced the release of the new dramatic narrative fiction podcast, Dungeon Masters, starring and executive produced by Jon Hamm. Created, written and directed by award-winning journalist and author, David Kushner, the series is based on his research and writing about Dungeons & Dragons (RISE OF THE DUNGEON MASTER), and the missing person case which inadvertently made the game (in)famous. 

Set in 1979, the series gives listeners a behind-the-curtain look into the world of Dungeons & Dragons, told through the lenses of private investigator William Dear (Jon Hamm), a swashbuckling style tough guy and creator of the game Gary Gygax (Wil Wheaton). We follow Dear on his quest to find Dallas Egbert, a Michigan State student, who supposedly disappeared in the steam tunnels under his University while enacting a real-life version of D&D. What Dear encounters on this journey and ultimately discovers, defies all expectations, and changes the culture as we know it.

Hamm is joined by a dynamic cast including Wil Wheaton (Star Trek, Stand by Me), Felicia Day (Critical Role, Supernatural), Kristian Nairn (Game of Thrones), Emily Axford (Adam Ruins Everything), Anjali Bhimani (Ms. Marvel, Critical Role) and Mark Daugherty (Captain Marvel) and is produced by Hamm, Kushner, QCODE and Temple Hill Entertainment. 

"It was great to delve into the mystery of Dallas Egbert with this talented team and group of actors. I’m excited for listeners to follow the journey of William Dear and immerse themselves in the series.”

Series creator David Kushner is an award-winning journalist and author and is among the most optioned journalists in Hollywood, with works that have sold to Netflix, A24, Universal, Paramount as well as USA, Hulu, and Fox Broadcasting.

“I’ve been obsessed with the disappearance of Dallas Egbert since I was a kid playing D&D. When I was interviewing the game’s co-creator Gary Gygax for WIRED, he told me how influential Dallas’s disappearance was on the game. I always thought the real story of William Dear’s search for Dallas would be an amazing way to immerse people into the world of the game and the gamers who play it. And since the game is built on storytelling, it felt perfect for a podcast. “ – David Kushner, Creator  

Dungeon Masters will debut on August 12th on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever podcasts are available. QCODE+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts will have early, uninterrupted access to new episodes.