About Us
Our History
We believe you must bring your whole self to the table if you want to thrive in today’s crazy world; your personality, your sense of humor, and most importantly, your heart. All of these elements inspired us to create a D&D Podcast back in 2016. In the Crit Academy podcast, we provided guidance and inspiration to both players and DMs. We achieved this through product review, inspirational ideas and concepts, D&D tips and tricks, and of course, open discussion. We were so lucky to find that people actually wanted to listen to us and the Crit Academy D&D podcast ran for 300 episodes!
In early 2023 we decided it was time to expand beyond just the world of Dungeons and Dragons. On March 1st, 2023 Crit Academy: Dice and Dialogue launched. Dice and Dialogue is a TTRPG Discussion Podcast. We try out a variety of tabletop games and then share our experiences with you. We discuss what makes each game special, what we feel could use improvement, and what aspects you can integrate into other TTRPG games. We also share system-agnostic tips and tricks that you can bring to any game table.
Inspired by the great creators we have interviewed on our podcast, Crit Academy began writing and publishing 5e D&D resources in 2018. Our first book was released on DM's Guild and went on to become an Electrum bestseller. We have since released a dozen products on DM's Guild, most becoming bestsellers. In January 2020 We began selling through our own website and Drive-Thru RPG and have released a dozen more products. After finding success in the world of digital self-publishing, we decided we wanted to go bigger! Inspiration hit us to do a monster compendium that was more than just stat blocks. We wanted monsters to be memorable at the table, not just a bag of hit points. So, in August 2020, we launched our first Kickstarter. We were blown away by the support we received and Memorable Monsters was officially published in June 2021. We have since run 3 more successful Kickstarter campaigns. Our library of content includes a wide range of products from player options to character and world enhancements to adventures to monsters. We love creating great content to help players and DMs expand their worlds.
Our Patreon page has helped us expand on our content creation even further by giving us the opportunity to release new and exciting content every month thanks to our amazing patron supporters. Every month we release monsters, NPC cards, magic reagents, bounty board quests, legacy item quests, and so much more. Our Patrons also help us to create and cultivate new ideas and projects.
We invite you to explore our site, learn about our passions, and explore what excites and interests you.
Meet Our Crew!
Justin Handlin - Host
Justin has been playing roleplaying games ever since he was in middle school. His love started with Dungeons & Dragons and quickly spread to many other RPGs over the years. These include popular games such as Pathfinder, Fate and 13th Age, as well as some of the more hidden gems like Gamma World. No matter the game, he always loves not only the memorable stories, but also the fantastic moments with friends and strangers. While life did get busy for awhile, and gaming fell to the way side for college and adulting, it wasn’t long before the itch returned in the form of 5th Edition D&D. The love was so strong for the ruleset he just couldn’t get enough. He found that playing wasn’t enough. He wanted to share his love with anyone who would listen. So he created the Crit Academy podcast. Since then, his love has continued to take over his life. Stepping into the role of author and game designer was only a matter of time. His face, voice and work is now splattered all over the internet like a goblin that had a run in with a adventuring barbarian. He works hard everyday in the hopes of turning his hobby of game design and storytelling into a fulltime job.
Keep your blades sharp and spells prepared Heroes!
Ian Wood - Co-Host
He is a hardcore gamer and the show's resident rules lawyer. When not gaming he works the graveyard shift for a local TV station. Ian has been on the tabletop gaming scene since 2006 with D&D 4e. Since then, his love for gaming has grown across all platforms and styles. Some of his favorites include Mutants and Masterminds, Pathfinder, Dragon Age and much much more.
Brandon Gray - Co-Host
Brandon has been a D&D player for quite some time and has been a DM for five years. He brings an open mind to the table and is exceptional at improv. When not playing D&D you would find him speed cubing with Rubiks cubes, studying chess, or making resin projects.
He is available as a professional DM here: https://startplaying.games/gm/dmgray
Aelx Bomb Co-Host
Aelx Bomb is a 28 year old content creator and now author. She got her start in 2019 by posting GM advice, plot ideas, and NPCs on TikTok. In 2020 she moved part of her fan base over to her now thriving discord and Twitch channels where she streams 4 days a week about community, life, and nerdy stuff. She has even raised over $2,000 for an animal shelter in her home state Texas. Aelx has worked with Wizards of the Coast many times to promote things about both D&D and Magic and has a strong desire to bring her community the best companies and recommendations she possibly can. She now lives in WA along with her husband, cat, and elderly dog happy as a clam and always waiting for inspiration for another TikTok.
Elliana Eitniear - Podcast Editor
Ellie has been a gamer since before she could read, but only recently delved into the world of tabletop roleplaying games due to productions such as The Adventure Zone. She donned the role of DM with the 5e Starter Set and roped her family into joining as players. She enjoys the collaborative storytelling aspect of the game the most and loves creating fun adventures that make her friends and family feel epic and heroic.
In addition to gaming, Ellie hones her creativity as a musician, sound editor, writer, and coffee enthusiast, amongst other things, and loves spending time with her equally geeky spouse.
Keep your blades sharp, spells prepared, and your imagination alive!
Alicia Handlin - Producer & Business Manager
Alicia is the brains behind Justin’s beauty. She doesn’t play D&D to much, but her past characters have included Shrek (with his trusty sidekick Donkey) and Sailor Mars. She joined the Crit Academy team once it started to grow into a business and not just a hobby. She handles all of the business matters, finances, and keeps Justin on track with a strict production schedule and a whip (+1d4)! She is also now the livestream producer, taking care of the graphics, captions, links, and ferociously waving into the camera when Justin skips something in the show notes!
Some of her hobbies include cosplaying at anime conventions, singing and playing bells in the church choir, watching TV, and baking.
Meet the rest of Crit Nation!
What is Crit Nation?
We are a collective community of content creators.
Our goal is to help provide guidance, tools, and inspiration, to ensure you have the best gaming experience possible!
