Who We Are
Monty Martin and Kelly McLaughin are the Dungeon Dudes! Together they co-authored Dungeons of Drakkenheim (2023 ENNIE Judge’s Spotlight Award Winner), followed up by Sebastian Crowe’s Guide to Drakkenheim, and Monsters of Drakkenheim. Their Kickstarter projects have collectively raised over $3 million on Kickstarter, and were among the first third-party adventures available on D&D Beyond.
Beyond their own creations, the Dudes have been contributing authors to Ghostfire Gaming, Kobold Press, and Hit Point Press
Meet Kelly
Kelly McLaughlin graduated from the Toronto Film school and went on to produce an award winning short film, “Dave is Possessed” which won best Micro Horror Comedy at the Lost Episodes Film Festival in Toronto. He brought his film expertise and passion for role playing games to the table when he and his long time friend Monty decided to use their talents to bring Dungeon Dudes to life. Kelly brings a unique blend of storytelling and tactical expertise to every campaign. With a huge interest in movies and film, Kelly’s approach to Dungeons & Dragons is all about character development, immersive roleplay, and creating unforgettable moments for players. As a Dungeon Master and player, Kelly loves to delve into complex, morally gray characters and narratives that leave a lasting impact. He prefers an improv heavy style that embraces the rule of cool. Kelly loves being a cheerleader for the players at his table, and always looks for ways to let the most epic things the players come up with happen.
Kelly is passionate about tabletop culture, geek media, and bringing the community together. His favorite aspect of TTRPGs is the opportunity to create worlds where players can escape, experiment, and experience something truly unique each session. He is passionate about sharing with the wider community and his fans and believes that creativity is at its best when we collaborate together. Kelly’s primary goal is to make every game feel like an epic, cinematic adventure that is full of surprises and emotional highs. He brings years of experience as a writer and director, and a background in film and television to the table to bring strong narrative elements and emotional moments to his games.
Fun Fact: When Kelly’s not rolling dice, you can usually find him with a cup of tea and a cozy video game, watching horror movies, strumming his guitar, or deep in thought about his next character, or writing project. He has been a bass player, guitarist, and singer in multiple pop-punk, hardcore, and emo bands over the years, and watches about 200 movies a year on average.
Meet Monty
Dr. Monty Martin received his PhD in Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto, and worked as a digital media designer for interactive and immersive live performance projects for over a decade before starting Dungeon Dudes. His eclectic interests span games, performance, literature, history, art, and technology.
Monty combines strategic thinking and a passion for storytelling to create dynamic campaigns. A lifelong fan of Dungeons & Dragons, Monty’s expertise shines through in his ability to break down complex mechanics and teach them in an accessible, entertaining way. With a love for classic RPGs, Monty is always searching for new ways to improve gameplay, whether through homebrew rules or fine-tuning existing systems. Monty’s focus is on making sure every campaign has its share of high-stakes battles and moments of triumph. He loves exploring narratives that show the grey areas between good and evil, and ask players the questions of what they are willing to give in order to achieve their goals, all while ensuring the experience is immersive and engaging for everyone at the table.
Fun Fact: One of the wildest theatre projects Monty ever worked on was a 24-hour long live performance installation about time loops.
