Misfits and Magic

• Aabria Iyengar as the game master
• Erika Ishii as Karen Keiko Tanaka, a.k.a. XxBrokenDreamxX, who goes by "Dream" and later "K"
• Brennan Lee Mulligan as Evan Kelmp
• Danielle Radford as Samantha Butler, who is also known by her streamer name Sam Black and later Sam Britain
• Lou Wilson as Whitney Jammer, who goes by Jammer

Misfits and Magic is inspired by, and is a reaction to, the Harry Potter series and contemporary changes in its public perception. The reputation of the Harry Potter series slipped in the decades after its release, as various new analyses shone a light on elements of the series—and public statements of its author, J. K. Rowling—that have been criticized as bigoted. Creative director Orion D. Black told The Daily Dot that the season sought to counter Harry Potter{{'s}} lack of diverse representation in its central cast. At the same time, Black and Aabria Iyengar both felt that the series still had a meaningful impact on them, and wanted to tell a story that captured that. They also sympathized with those who chose not to watch the season because of its connection to Harry Potter.{{Cite news |last=María |first=Anna |date=July 1, 2021 |title=The Black creatives of Dimension 20{{'s}} Misfits and Magic are redefining inclusivity in tabletop gaming |url=https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/dimension-20-misfits-and-magic-inclusive-tabletop-gaming/ |access-date=July 27, 2023 |work=The Daily Dot}}

To that end, Misfits and Magic emulates many aspects of Harry Potter, sometimes as a tribute, sometimes in mockery. In a similar line to Harry Potter, the season follows four Americans with no prior magical ability as they attempt to navigate the culture of Gowpenny, a secret school of witchcraft and wizardry meant to serve as a parallel to Hogwarts. However, the characters also rebel against the source material; for example, during the sorting ceremony, they disrupt the scene with criticism of Gowpenny's (and implicitly, Hogwarts's) tracking of students into "houses", and particularly the existence of the "evil" house. The setting itself also deviates from the source in some ways: the kitchen, for example, was not staffed by slave labor akin to the house elf.{{Cite news |last=Crider |first=Michael |date=February 3, 2023 |title=Skip Hogwarts Legacy and watch some Harry Potter-style D&D instead |work=PC World |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/1499840/skip-hogwarts-legacy-and-watch-some-harry-potter-style-dd-instead.html |access-date=July 27, 2023}} Further, in what the creators and actors saw as a departure from the Harry Potter series, Misfits and Magic focuses primarily on actors and characters of color, with the season featuring a majority-black cast and a non-binary character.{{Cite news |last=Nightingale |first=Ed |date=July 8, 2021 |title=Apex Legends actor condemns transphobia with full-throated roar on Harry Potter show |work=PinkNews |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2021/07/08/erika-ishii-dimension20-apex-legends-harry-potter/ |access-date=July 28, 2023}}

Misfits and Magic departed significantly from other seasons in Dimension 20 in terms of production. Rather than Dungeons & Dragons, the first season of Misfits and Magic uses the Kids on Brooms system, and instead of Dimension 20{{'s}} regular arrangement of minis and battle maps, it mostly utilizes theatre of the mind. The show was developed by game master Aabria Iyengar and Dimension 20 creative director Orion D. Black.{{Cite web |date=2021-06-18 |title=DIMENSION 20 Brings Aabria Iyengar in to GM MISFITS AND MAGIC Releasing This Month |url=https://geektyrant.com/news/dimension-20-brings-aabria-iyengar-in-to-gm-misfits-and-magic-releasing-this-month |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=GeekTyrant |language=en-US}} The season was also Brennan Lee Mulligan's first season as a player, as he usually serves as the show's game master.

Seasons of Dimension 20 are broadly divided into Intrepid Heroes campaigns and Side Quests campaigns;{{cite web |last1=Heim |first1=Bec |date=2 January 2023 |title=Dimension 20: All Intrepid Hero Campaigns, Ranked |url=https://screenrant.com/dimension-20-all-intrepid-hero-campaigns-ranked/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108220419/https://screenrant.com/dimension-20-all-intrepid-hero-campaigns-ranked/ |archive-date=January 8, 2024 |access-date=September 26, 2023 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}} Misfits and Magic was the first Side Quest campaign to receive a second season.{{Cite web |last=Ashcroft |first=Helen |date=September 13, 2024 |title=How To Start Watching Dimension 20 |url=https://www.thegamer.com/dimension-20-watch-order-guide/ |access-date=October 11, 2024 |website=TheGamer |language=en}} The first season of Misfits and Magic was the tenth season of Dimension 20; a second season of Misfits and Magic, Dimension 20{{'s}} twenty-third season, premiered in September 2024. The cast reprise their roles in the second season, which picks up three years after the events of the first season.{{Cite web |last=Radulovic |first=Petrana |date=September 4, 2024 |title=Misfits and Magic season 2 tackles the future of magic |url=https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/447782/dimension-20-misfits-and-magic-season-2-trailer |access-date=October 11, 2024 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Teh |first=Cheryl |date=September 4, 2024 |title=Hit streaming show 'Dimension 20' is raring to go with an all-new season of 'Misfits and Magic' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/dimension-20-new-season-misfits-and-magic-aabria-iyengar-2024-9 |access-date=October 11, 2024 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}} This campaign uses the Never Stop Making Magic system, which is a custom mix of the Kids on Brooms system and Dropout's Never Stop System. Like the first season, the second does not utilize battle maps, but instead features other set elements.{{Cite web |date=September 4, 2024 |title=Dimension 20: Misfits & Magic Season 2 FAQ |url=https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/1X462O4XcMZF3nzgDbzXp9d93EtPrTm1VdgGxbJolaQo/pub |access-date=September 4, 2024 |website=Google Docs |publisher=Dimension 20 |type=Press release}}

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|Title = The Chosen Ones

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| EpisodeNumber = 2

| EpisodeNumber2 = 2

|Title = Class Conflict

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|07|7}}

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| EpisodeNumber = 3

| EpisodeNumber2 = 3

|Title = Family on Six

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| EpisodeNumber = 4

| EpisodeNumber2 = 4

|Title = We're the Heroes

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}}

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|Title = Misfits and Magic Holiday Special

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|Title = Misfits and Magic Live at GenCon 2022

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|08|6}}

|ShortSummary = Note: Iyengar introduces a different cast of characters to the Gowpenny Academy of Arcane Arts. Features Becca Scott as Andre Henreek, Michelle Nguyen Bradley as Chip n Rip, Noxweiler Berf as Dangerwolf Darkhawk, and Markeia McCarty as Premium Va-Casians.{{cite AV media |date= August 6, 2022 |title= Misfits and Magic Live at GenCon 2022 |medium= Twitch livestream |url=https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1568434053 |access-date= September 23, 2023|archive-url= |archive-date= |publisher= Gen Con }}

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{{Episode table |background=lightblue|overall=5 |season=5 |title=30 |airdate=15 |episodes=

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| EpisodeNumber2 = 1

|Title = A Meeting of Misfits

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|09|25}}

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| EpisodeNumber = 8

| EpisodeNumber2 = 2

|Title = Magma and Mingle

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|10|02}}

|ShortSummary =

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}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| EpisodeNumber2 = 3

|Title = A Place of Knowing

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|10|09}}

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor = lightblue

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 10

| EpisodeNumber2 = 4

|Title = A Change of Plan

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|10|16}}

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|LineColor = lightblue

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 11

| EpisodeNumber2 = 5

|Title = K's Anatomy

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|10|23}}

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| EpisodeNumber = 12

| EpisodeNumber2 = 6

|Title = Code Crimson

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|10|30}}

|ShortSummary =

|LineColor = lightblue

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| EpisodeNumber = 13

| EpisodeNumber2 = 7

|Title = The Heart of Weugan

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|11|6}}

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|LineColor = lightblue

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| EpisodeNumber = 14

| EpisodeNumber2 = 8

|Title = The Man We've Been Waiting For

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|11|13}}

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| EpisodeNumber = 15

| EpisodeNumber2 = 9

|Title = The Magic of Creation

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|11|20}}

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| EpisodeNumber = 16

| EpisodeNumber2 = 10

|Title = Turducken

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|11|27}}

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| EpisodeNumber = 17

| EpisodeNumber2 = 11

|Title = The Show Goes On

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Michael Crider of PC World reviewed the season favorably, complimenting Brennan Lee Mulligan's performance as Evan Kelmp and his character's arc, which foils Dream's. He also wrote that the show's format makes it "a great introduction to the actual play format". Brandon Zachary, for ScreenRant, similarly thought that Mulligan as Evan Kelmp was the show's "highlight" within the entire "delightful" cast.{{Cite web |last=Zachary |first=Brandon |date=July 14, 2024 |title=This Underrated Fantasy Series Figured Out The Voldemort Story Harry Potter Should Have Told |url=https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-dimension-20-misfits-magic-voldemort/ |access-date=October 11, 2024 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}} Zachary noted that "among the elements of Harry Potter the series takes deliberate aim at is the inherently evil 'Dark Lord' archetype" and Misfits and Magic "subverts Voldemort's lack of a true character arc by giving their take on that character a far more compelling storyline".

Academic Emma French, in the Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, commented that the cast of Misfits and Magic "critique Rowling's work" through their game and that "rather than facilitating imitation, TTRPGs allow players to respond critically to texts, revising them through play".{{Cite journal |last=French |first=Emma |date=2025 |title="Class Conflict": Dimension 20: Misfits and Magic and TTRPGs as Transformative Fantasy |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/951191 |journal=JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies |volume=64 |issue=2 |pages=156–161 |doi=10.1353/cj.2025.a951191 |issn=2578-4919|url-access=subscription }} French noted that there is a "desire to transform or reclaim Rowling's works" which the Kids on Brooms system can facilitate "as demonstrated by the fan-controlled secondary and tertiary texts that form Misfits and Magic" which opened "its first episode with the statement 'fuck TERFs'". She explained that "while participants in Gowpenny Academy's Pilot Programme are marginalized as 'non-magical people,' several players and their characters also belong to racial minorities sidelined in Rowling's work" – Misfits and Magic gestures "toward Rowling's tokenistic racial representation" and "connects the fictional conceit of the Pilot Programme with a much wider political question of who can access, and move unimpeded, through a magical world that has its basis in reality". The show not only criticizes "Rowling's approach to naming ethnic minorities" but also "the players widen this discussion from Rowling's own textual practices to wider consequences of 'assimilation into wizard culture'"; the cast's "existing animosity toward Rowling and frustration at the restrictive conventions of the magic school subgenre result in a wizarding world that is not replicated but challenged and changed".

Theo Kogod of CBR recalled Misfits and Magic when Wizards of the Coast, the company that publishes Dungeons & Dragons, released a supplement for a magical university called Strixhaven which is inspired by "Harry Potter and other stories about magic schools". Kogod noted that Misfits and Magic had seen the need for a Harry Potter actual play system well before.{{Cite news |last=Kogod |first=Theo |date=October 12, 2021 |title=How College Humor's Dimension 20 predicted D&D's Strixhaven |work=Comic Book Resources |url=https://www.cbr.com/dnd-dimension-20-strixhaven-misfits-madness-harry-potter/ |access-date=July 28, 2023}}

{{reflist}}

{{Dropout}}

Category:2021 web series debuts

Category:Actual play web series

Category:Dimension 20 seasons

Category:Works based on Harry Potter