The following is a sample of our weekly newsletter – Hogmail – which gives exclusive behind-the-scenes updates from Dice Company HQ.

We started as a D&D podcast, but have since branched out to play multiple systems – as well as releasing stories from the Dice Company world in audiobook form in The Tales of Kale Vala. If you enjoy the article, sign up for Hogmail below.

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Old beginnings

Today, we leap headlong into the archive. Specifically, we’ve found the WhatsApp chat from the very start of Dice Company. It’s a treasure trove of intrigue and misguided notions. Let’s take a look:

The Dice Company chat emerged from a larger questing group – including several people who have featured as guest voices on the show. Taking no prisoners, the DM trimmed all but the core cast.

Seeing this, Alex replied: “Brutal cull, new group name. Is this a cult? If so, I’m in.”

In classic DC style, we then lurch off topic and have a long conversation about a defunct UK restaurant chain called Little Chef. 

Focus then turns to the name of the show, with Harry and Tom agreeing that Vicious Mockery is the right choice for our D&D podcast. There had been one (or more) podcasts of this name, but – like Little Chef – they had vanished. Or had they? It depended which podcast platform you looked at.

Never mind. Bigger problems arrived.

Harry wrote (to Tom): “I listened to the first 20 mins of episode three and your edit makes us seem waaay less indecisive than I remember.” (comms team note: “more decisive” would be a less indecisive way of expressing this).

Tom: “Some indecisiveness = funny. Too much indecisiveness = frustrating. That’s how I was able to get 3.2 hours down to 1.5.”

He added a smiley face – but you can feel the exasperation behind this cheery emoji.

Perhaps trying to inject some optimism, Alex calls chapter three “pure gold” – praising our “love-hate dynamic”.

Tom replies: “A safe space away from the chaos of life where we can all just sit around, insult one another and focus on a fictional world… is it any wonder this stuff has exploded in popularity in recent years?”

Well, we’ve learned lots about podcasting (sound quality, editing, promotion, a million other things) but that hempen rope of escapist silliness still keeps us moored to our starting point.

As always, thanks for escaping with us.

The Dice Company crew.

For more from Dice Company, listen to our latest episode, go all the way back to chapter one, check out our Patreon and sign up for our Hogmail email updates below…