You’ve probably heard of it before: Dungeons & Dragons. Dice, elves, magic. D&D has had its own dedicated hall at Heroes Dutch Comic Con for years now, but many people still mainly know it from shows like Stranger Things or The Big Bang Theory. Maybe you’ve even thought: sounds fun… but what actually is it? That’s exactly where the strength of the podcast Geen Woorden Maar Draken (meaning ‘No Words Just Dragons’) comes in.
“We just wanted to create something we were missing ourselves”
We spoke with Niki and Maaike, who play the characters Mau and Elisa in the podcast.
“We already listened to a lot of American D&D podcasts ourselves, like Critical Role and Dungeons & Daddies,” Maaike explains. “But we kept wondering: why is there so little content in Dutch? So… we just decided to make it ourselves.”
And it started quite simply: a group of friends with different levels of experience, one table, five microphones, and most importantly, a lot of enthusiasm to go on adventures together.
So, what exactly is Dungeons & Dragons?
For anyone still unsure: D&D isn’t a board game with fixed rules and a final objective. It’s a story you create together, guided by a game master, also known as the Dungeon Master.
You step into the shoes of a character – a knight, a cat, a wizard, or even a car salesman from Pijnacker (yes, really) – and together you experience adventures. What happens next is determined by your choices… and by dice rolls.
“It’s basically improv theater with rules and a randomness factor,” says Niki. “And sometimes that means you fail dramatically at the worst possible moment. That’s exactly what makes it so much fun.”
Listening as an easy entry point
One of the best things about a D&D podcast is that you can experience the story without having to play yourself right away. Many listeners have never played the game before, or simply don’t have the time right now, but they still get to enjoy the experience through the podcast. It feels a bit like sitting at the table while a group of friends creates a story together in real time.
You can also see that effect reflected in the community. Around the podcast, a group of listeners has formed who meet online and at events. Some listeners even started playing D&D themselves after meeting through the Discord community.
From fantasy to… almost true crime
Besides fantasy adventures, GWMD also creates other types of stories, including collaborations with the D&D YouTube channel Aan Tafel. They’ve also launched a second podcast called Schaduwjagers, based on the Delta Green system. It has a completely different atmosphere: less fantasy, more mystery.
“It almost feels like a true crime podcast,” Niki explains. “Except the story is built by the players at the table and influenced by dice rolls. So it can literally go anywhere.”
It shows just how flexible these kinds of games can be – from high fantasy to dark mysteries.
D&D as team building
Even outside geek culture, the game is becoming more popular. GWMD now also organizes team-building activities where colleagues play a simplified version of D&D together. The result is often the same: people who barely know each other at first quickly start working together in a fantasy world and naturally open up.
“We’re even being asked to host team-building sessions now,” says Niki. “You’ll have a director and an intern sitting there awkwardly at first, and later they’re working together to come up with a plan to attack an orc.”
It perfectly shows what D&D is really about at its core: teamwork, creativity, and above all, having fun.
So… why should you listen?
Dungeons & Dragons is still relatively niche in the Netherlands, but the interest is clearly growing. Geen Woorden Maar Draken proves that you don’t need to be an expert to enjoy it. Sometimes simply listening is enough to become part of the adventure.
“Our goal was actually very simple,” Maaike says. “We just wanted to share the fun we have with other people. And it’s amazing to see that it actually worked!”
Curious to learn more?
And if you prefer watching over listening, you can also check out live shows and workshops, such as the workshops at Heroes Dutch Comic Con where you can learn how to create your own D&D character or dungeon.
Or visit Geen Woorden Maar DraCon on June 6, organized together with Cacklin Slayers and Creeps & Sheeps.More information about Geen Woorden Maar Draken can be found on their website and Instagram, or you can listen to the podcast on Spotify or in your favorite podcast app.
