Press - About A Paladin’s Bargain

A Paladin’s Bargain is a full-cast, dark-comedy audio drama, set in an approachable fantasy world. Season One introduces our travelers on the road to distant Gauntlet Station, a place known for generations as a destination for adventure. However, a cascading series of adverse, inauspicious, and downright unlucky events put them on a path where they must solve a mystery… or else.

Season One contains a 5 minute “Session Zero” introduction and six approximately 30 minute episodes, for a little over three hours of listening time. Each episode begins with an introduction, a general content warning, and a recap of important bits of dialogue from previous episodes to set the scene. (A full list of content advisories can be found here.) Additionally, each episode is divided into three parts, separated by fictional “in-world” commercials. And of course, each episode ends on a cliff-hanger or otherwise Dramatically Appropriate Moment™.  The episodes are chapters in the larger story - all total and if all goes right - there will be three seasons and (for some reason) twenty episodes.

But really, the show is designed for people who enjoy fantasy and Dungeons & Dragons but may not have enough time to play it. Consider it a campaign, only it’s three hours for a season, not three hours for a single episode.

A Paladin’s Bargain includes a strong, character-driven story full of diverse characters and the (platonic) relationships between them. The dialogue is inclusive and doesn’t rely on too many high fantasy tropes. No knowledge of D&D or other role playing games is required. It’s an audio play. The magic is very obviously flagged with audio cues.

The story is about people trying their best to get by and do right in the world. It’s just sometimes those “people” have pointy ears, or tails, or cast magic spells. Our tone can be exciting and perilous, with a strong helping of good-natured banter, brought to life by an amazing cast of talented voice actors. The theme is mostly positive, even in light of the darker and more ominous things they discover. According to one source, this makes us “Nobledark” as opposed to “Grimdark.”  The world can be a terrible place, but there are good people trying hard to change that. 

The story of A Paladin’s Bargain does develop darker and more complex themes as the story progresses. New problems emerge when other problems are solved. These rougher aspects are balanced by the growing sense of camaraderie between the team of strangers who are fast becoming friends, whether they like it or not. 

Also of note: Just as there are “in-world” commercials between sections of each episode, there are also occasional anachronistic references in the dialogue. (We’re compiling a list, but it’s going to take a while.)  There is no deeper purpose, symbolism, or foreshadowing behind it. Consider those bits a nod to the classic 2001 adventure movie A Knight’s Tale with Heath Ledger and Alan Tudyk. 

If you are a fan of lighter fantasy movies such as Legend or Willow, graphic novels like Stardust, or speculative fiction authors such as Mary Robinette Kowal or Scott Lynch, this might be worth a try.

Generally speaking, A Paladin’s Bargain is rated somewhere between PG-13 and R for fantasy violence and occasional strong language (that’s a nice way of saying that there is an occasional four letter word, but not excessive.) The violence includes fantasy combat (swords, bows and arrows, plus magic spells) and the resulting physical injury and occasional death. 

Additionally, there are scenarios some people might consider disturbing. The story touches on mature topics such as racial and gender discrimination, human trafficking, and “off-camera” child abuse (in the form of children forced to fight.)  We like to pretend that it’s nothing the teens haven’t heard before, but you know your kids better than we do. Concerned parents might want to listen to an episode or two to get a taste for whether the material is appropriate for their children. Also, while the story revolves around adults, there is only light flirting and innuendo, no overt sex. The one and only kiss happens in Episode One between a wife and husband, and she kisses him on the forehead. (And if you’re really concerned, transcripts of all episodes are available here.)

Daniel Christensen (he/him) is the writer of A Paladin’s Bargain, as well as the voice of Sir Rowan Lawson. He grew up in an era where Dungeons and Dragons was a guarantee of never making it to school with your lunch money. Decades later, Daniel is a technical writer by day.  APB is his first attempt at fiction and audio drama. In his travels, Daniel met several groups of talented people who do theater for fun, including one group dedicated to re-enacting Greek mythology and another who produced seven full score rock operas for fun.

The story of A Paladin’s Bargain began (like so many things) during the Covid lockdown of 2020, when his brother-in-law’s kids asked, “Uncle Daniel, have you ever heard of a game called Dungeons and Dragons?” Several years and several Zoom calls later, the characters and the campaigns of that world began to coalesce into a script. And luckily, he knew the right group of people who might try such an undertaking.

When he isn’t writing or editing, Daniel enjoys cooking, hiking, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, as well as spending time with The Long-Suffering Wife (Ana) and two guinea pigs (Athena and Boomer).

Season One of A Paladin’s Bargain will drop in December 2024. (We’re like Netflix. You get the whole season, all at once. And hey, Netflix, if you need another story to adapt… call me.)  You should not be surprised to learn that Season One ends on a rather significant cliff-hanger. 

As far as Season Two? Well, you see that "donate" button at the top of the page?  Buy me a coffee, please? No subscription or Patreon, but that’s another topic.

With all things, there are layers of answers. Every question comes with a short answer and a long answer. Short answers will answer the question; long answers will give more behind the scenes information. Be warned: Long answers may include swearing. Don’t worry. I was a US Navy sailor. I’ve had professional training.