Welcome 2 Rule of Cool Podcast

Rule of Cool Season 2 EP11 - Ravenloft Rising

The mists have rolled in, and so has our first deep dive into Horrors Within. Chris and James begin a new miniseries exploring Ravenloft's latest book, sharing their honest thoughts on the subclasses, themes and ideas that caught their attention. From whether horror campaigns can ever truly be scary to the debate around consent pages versus atmosphere, nothing escapes the Rule of Cool treatment. This week, they take a closer look at the Grave Domain Cleric, Shadow Sorcerer, Undead Warlock and the brilliantly chaotic College of Spirits Bard. They question whether giving players terrifying powers actually weakens a horror setting, celebrate subclasses that bring something genuinely new to the table, and somehow end up discussing dream campaigns, Matrix-inspired D&D and why rolling randomly is often far more entertaining than making the sensible choice. Expect horror, humour, questionable opinions and plenty of sarcastic tangents as we journey into Ravenloft.

Rule of Cool Season 2 EP10 - Crossing Streams

Chris Smith and James Peerless return for another wonderfully unstructured dive into all things nerd culture. Despite being a D&D podcast, this week's conversation veers through England's Darts World Cup triumph, assigning D&D classes to England footballers, debating the best franchise crossovers, and somehow ends up discussing Spider-Man, Pokémon, Lego sets, and zombie survival campaigns. Along the way, the pair explore why Dungeons & Dragons has become more mainstream than ever, dream up future crossover possibilities, and share some practical Dungeon Master advice on keeping players engaged. The episode is called Crossing Streams, which, as any sensible person knows, is generally considered a terrible idea. Fortunately for our millions of listeners, mixing D&D, football, superheroes, and Pokémon together has only resulted in mild chaos. New episodes every Wednesday.

Rule of Cool Season 2 EP9 - Session Zeroes

This week, Chris and James discuss first characters, character deaths that still haunt players years later, why new players don't need a 17-class multiclass build, and how roleplay often matters more than the numbers on your character sheet. Plus, tales from zombie campaigns, returning to the DM chair (or escaping it), and a surprisingly brilliant token mechanic that proves controlled chaos can create unforgettable moments. Because every great adventure starts somewhere... usually with someone forgetting how spell slots work.

Rule of Cool Season 2 EP8 - Villianous Villians 2

Chris and James return to finish what they started, diving into the final 10 villains from Dragon Magazine’s Top 20, and things get seriously out of hand. What begins with trap-loving masterminds like Acererak quickly spirals into full-blown god-tier chaos, featuring demon lords, lich legends, and world-ending threats. Along the way, the duo question questionable rankings, debate what actually makes a great villain, and continue applying their wildly unreliable “Rock Hard Rating” system. From manipulators like Tasha to absolute powerhouses like Orcus, Vecna, and Tiamat, this episode answers the important question… who actually deserves the top spot? This is Part 2 of 2, bigger, darker, and somehow even less scientific than before.

Rule of Cool Season 2 EP7 - Villainous Villians 1

Chris and James kick off a two-part deep dive into Dragon Magazine’s Top 20 D&D villains, armed with their brand new, highly scientific, and completely questionable “Rock Hard Rating” system. From Meepo (who might not even be a villain) to world-ending threats like Tharizdun, the duo attempt to separate the truly terrifying from the wildly overrated. Along the way, they question their own D&D knowledge, compare warforged to Terminators, and discover that some “legendary villains” are… a bit underwhelming. This is Part 1, covering the first 10 villains, expect chaos, sarcasm, and a rating system that absolutely shouldn’t be trusted.