The game has changed for D&D and 'A League of Their Own'

It's Been a Minute

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🗓️ 2 September 2022

⏱️ 36 minutes

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Summary

For a long time, Dungeons & Dragons was stereotyped as a game for nerdy young white guys in their parents' basement. But not anymore — the game has exploded in popularity and players of all backgrounds are joining in. Guest co-host Andrea Gutierrez talks to Jasmine Bhullar and Persephone Valentine, both content creators and dungeon masters, about how D&D has become an exciting medium for marginalized people to tell new kinds of fantasy stories.

Then, Andrea sits down with Chanté Adams, star of the new Amazon Prime series A League of Their Own. Adams plays Maxine Chapman, a queer Black woman loosely based on historic female players in the Negro Leagues. The role also expands on a non-speaking, unnamed character in the original 1992 film. Adams talks about seeking complex Black characters to portray onscreen, and bringing her family into each new role.

Finally, Andrea tests All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang and producer Mia Venkat on their pop culture news knowledge in a game of Who Said That.

You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Eva, Alisa's daughter.
0:03.5	This week telling new stories through Dungeons & Dragons.
0:06.5	Plus, actor Shantay Adams on reimagining a League of Their Own.
0:10.8	Alright, let's start the show!
0:12.4	You're listening, Ditz, been a minute from MPR.
0:17.2	I'm Andrea Guterres.
0:18.5	And I'm Elise Hugh.
0:19.5	Today we're talking about a game.
0:21.5	You've seen it on Stranger Things, which is feeling a whole new hype cycle for it.
0:25.4	That note is decimated us.
0:27.2	We can't kill him with two players.
0:28.5	You too?
0:29.5	It's only his 15 hit points left.
0:32.0	Or you've seen a trailer for the new movie based on it.
0:34.9	We helped the wrong person steal the wrong thing.
0:40.2	We didn't mean to unleash the greatest evil the world has ever known.
0:44.4	So even if you haven't played it, you've heard of it.
0:47.4	The game has been around for nearly 50 years.
0:50.0	Dungeons & Dragons.
0:51.8	Or D&D.
0:54.9	For those who haven't played, D&D kind of works like this.
0:58.2	A group of players makes characters, an dungeon master, or DM, takes them on an adventure.
	...

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