TomesotheChaosBard
172 episodes listed below
Family-friendly fantasy with table-chaos momentum.
Tomes of the Chaos Bard follows a homebrew D&D party through Kel-eth, where dragons, hags, scarecrows, hidden notes, and old losses keep pulling the heroes forward. The appeal is the table itself: earnest scene work, rules checks, nervous jokes, and sudden nonsense all sharing the same breath.
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Tomes of the Chaos Bard is a family-friendly D&D actual play built around homebrew fantasy, table banter, and a party that rarely meets danger quietly. The campaign lives in Kel-eth, a setting full of hags, scarecrows, dragonborn strangers, old farms, strange notes, and names the table cannot always say with a straight face. Recent chapters show the range clearly. Roscoe Thorngate returns in a burst of orange light, only to have a peach-mead recipe interrupted before it can become the important legacy it probably deserved to be. An ancient brass dragon named Groom-Doom-Droom makes the room shake, and the party immediately turns awe into panic, introductions, and name-checking comedy. Scarecrow fights become rules talk. Rules talk becomes a joke. The joke loops back into the combat. That rhythm is the show's center. DM Dave narrates the scene, tracks initiative, recaps prior chaos, and lets the table's interruptions stay part of the texture instead of sanding them away. The players push the story forward through characters such as Henley, Boudreaux, Tuck, Spike, and Fenrir, while the table itself keeps correcting, reacting, and laughing at the mess it creates. The fantasy stakes are real enough to matter. Roscoe's death weighs on the group, hags feel dangerous, and trust in Mapleshire is not simple. Still, the show keeps returning to a warmer, sillier register. A grim note in Goblin can arrive during a climb up a building. A frightening creature can trigger a chorus of anxious jokes. A spell effect can become a hand-noise explanation. The result feels less like produced theater and more like being near a busy game table that happens to have a sprawling campaign behind it. Listeners get lore, combat, character choices, mid-show support breaks, post-show energy, and occasional update episodes such as Solemn's Column. The family-friendly boundary shapes the humor without draining it. It is goofy, crowded, and earnest. It makes room for scary fields, ancient dragons, bounty questions, funeral fallout, merch announcements, shouted corrections, and improvised songs. The show works best for listeners who want their fantasy adventure alive with the sound of people actually playing.
Made for: Best for D&D actual-play listeners who enjoy homebrew fantasy, character banter, clear table presence, and comedy that stays family-friendly. It also fits listeners who prefer campaigns that leave in rules chatter and spontaneous group reactions.
What sets it apart: Its charm comes from keeping the table visible: scene narration, rules clarification, nervous jokes, and fantasy stakes all remain tangled together. The show can stage hags, dragons, undead trouble, and grief, then pivot instantly into playful confusion without breaking its communal warmth.
A family-friendly, fantasy-focused, Homebrew Dungeons and Dragons actual-play podcast. In the world of Kel-eth, your Host Chaos Bard, Saulum, and his side kick Quill, the phoenix feather, follow a group of heroes so they can tell their tale!
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
DM Dave turns campaign mechanics, character consequences, and cheerful table chaos into an actual play that stays readable even when the adventure gets crowded.
DM Dave keeps the adventure moving through a useful mix of scene-setting, rules calls, and room for the players to derail matters with jokes. Recaps carry the continuing story into encounters with hags, scarecrows, mysterious messages, and an ancient brass dragon, while…
An ancient brass dragon says his name; you get the table giggling before the quest resumes.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A dragon encounter that stays funny, nervous, and just dangerous enough.
This chapter turns a hard-won battle beat into a funny, slightly nerve-frayed encounter with an ancient brass dragon. Roscoe Thorngate's return gives the scene a warm comic lift, especially when he comes back to say goodbye and offer his peach-mead recipe before being cut off.
Scarecrow combat, flying chaos, and a failed Wisdom save keep the fight lively.
The episode keeps the scarecrow fight moving by threading in the colored gifts left by the big tiefling, the remaining scarecrows, and the Dragonborn who can fly.
A Goblin note points Caleth toward the potato fields at night.
Tomes of the Chaos Bard opens on a spooky, joke-first note before the recap moves through Ivan, Godfrey, Governor Meadowreed, Wick Clinic, and the mysterious Dragonborn with two companions.
Grief, distrust, and Mapleshire politics keep the episode moving, with a singalong closing the loop.
Tomes of the Chaos Bard keeps its focus on grief, suspicion, and a civic visit to Mapleshire, while moving through a tidy chain of beats: The Lioness's funeral, Henley's letters to Yolinks, the blue potato in Boudreaux's backpack, and the trip into town.
A goofy combat chapter that keeps the fight readable while the jokes keep landing.
Chapter 110 keeps the fight moving by treating every beat like a joke with a blade in it. Scarecrows, fearcrows, Spike's Black Pudding transformation, and a table full of puns all pile into the same messy clash, but the chapter never loses its shape.
Nilay Patel presses tech and media CEOs on how they actually run their companies.
Physician Shoshana Ungerleider pairs TED talks with interviews on aging, drug prices, and menopause.
Food52 hosts break down recipes and food-business origin stories, from sourdough to Salty Pimp cones.
The party battles horror crows and scarecrows, with Fenrir falling under mind control and turning against the group.
The podcast hosts introduce merchandise sales through TTRPG Swag, welcome listeners to their fifth anniversary mailbag episode, and share a winter-themed joke.
The host promotes merchandise through TTRPG Swag and shares a humorous personal story about adding laxative to alphabet soup for his constipated daughter, calling it 'Letter Rip'.
The host promotes merchandise through TTRPG Swag, then transitions into a narrative where characters discuss a heroic rescue and the adventurers' impending entry into the Druidry.
The host promotes merchandise through TTRPG Swag, then transitions to a recap of the story where characters wake up, meet at the Swoop Inn, and deal with Godfrey stealing an eye item while being called by Wick/Lennick.
The host promotes merchandise through TTRPG Swag, introduces the podcast and cast, tells a joke about his grandpa's Wi-Fi, and transitions to a recap of the previous episode.
The hosts discuss a recent eventful week involving character developments and side quests, including a trip to Glendale that led to the discovery of a new world.
This segment promotes merchandise sales through TTRPG Swag and introduces a new book in the Grimm the Gnoll series, set in a fantasy world conflict.
The host promotes merchandise through TTRPG Swag, introduces the podcast and cast, dedicates the episode to a supporter, and shares a humorous historical fact about Greece.
This segment explores the ethereal plane as a mirrored existence used by creatures like blink dogs and face spiders for stalking or escape, and by scholars and magic users for hiding, studying, or discovering new travel paths.
The host announces merchandise sales, dedicates upcoming episodes to a supporter, and shares a humorous fact about milk.
The host promotes merchandise sales and shares a humorous story about testing his wife's hearing by asking about dinner from various distances.
The host promotes merchandise through TTRPG Swag, introduces the podcast and cast, shares a joke about a dwarf psychic escaping prison, and transitions to a recap of the previous episode.
This segment announces merchandise sales through TTRPG Swag and previews a year-end review and message for listeners.
The podcast segment promotes merchandise through TTRPG Swag and transitions into a discussion about favorite characters and quotes from The Princess Bride.
The episode segment describes a battle where Spike casts a fireball, defeating ragdogs but accidentally setting the forest on fire.
This segment promotes merchandise and a new book in the Grimm the Gnoll series, set in a fantasy world where forces threaten the north and elves.
The host promotes merchandise sales through TTRPG Swag and transitions into a Christmas-themed segment with character introductions and a holiday joke.
In this episode, DM Dave promotes new merchandise through TTRPG Swag, shares a humorous ghost joke, and recaps an intense D&D battle where scarecrows regenerate stronger, leading to a surprising moment with Fenrir.
In this episode, DM Dave announces a new merchandise partnership with TTRPG Swag to support the show, followed by lighthearted banter and joke-telling among the hosts, setting a playful tone for the Dungeons and Dragons gameplay.
Chapter 130, “Season Yourselves,” follows DM Dave and the Tomes of the Chaos Bard party through a swamp where stagnant water can hide unstable ground and a magical lantern abruptly changes direction.
Tomes of the Chaos Bard, Chapter 128: Goon Dune Thrune, opens with Roscoe Thorngate returning in a beam of orange light and trying to leave a peach-mead recipe before Solemn sends him away.
Spike turns into a black pudding after eating a black candy and then gets immune to slashing, acid, and cold.
DM Dave opens with a warning.
DM Dave opens with a reminder about Grimm the Gnoll by Ted Woolley, then the table slips back into its own chaos.
DM Dave announces new merch and affiliate partnerships, then provides updates on the podcast's growth and how listener support helps improve the show.
The episode begins with a merch announcement and a promotional segment for a TTRPG music composer, then transitions into a fantasy adventure.
The host announces a merch partnership, gives show updates, and teases the return of the D&D campaign with a new season.
A family-friendly Dungeons & Dragons actual-play podcast where a group of heroes explores a hidden canyon and seeks a knowledge keeper.