Deck of Many Aces is an actual-play podcast with a difference. In an industry dominated by cis, straight, white men, we are a collective of queer women and non-binary artists and creatives. We all identify as on the asexual/aromantic spectrum, although we have a wide variety of experiences. This actual-play DND podcast follows our four heroes as they adventure through a fantasy world on the cusp of a technological revolution, augmented by magic. Each characters fate is tied to one of the 22 cards in the “Deck of Many Things”: a DND magical object based on a tarot deck.

Why does being ace make you unique?

We hear you. Creating a podcast based around your identity is... complicated, emotionally. But we believe that diversity of storytellers creates a diversity of stories, and for too long the narrative in DND, and in fantasy generally, has been told by one specific group of people. We don’t claim to be perfect: we are white and privileged; but we hope we can bust through the various glass ceilings of identity politics, and leave a space after us for more viewpoints.

That being said, we really believe that being ace does actually make our storytelling more interesting. Many of the themes that come up in DND really resonate with the asexual experience: a focus on found family and friendships over blood ties, feeling like outsiders/a lack of understanding, and being defined by our achievements rather than our relationships. Also, dragons.