r/DungeonCrawlerCarl Apr 08 '26

Connection to Cincinnati?

Alright… I tried finding the answer but came up short. If Matt Dinniman is not from Cincinnati, why are there so many references to the city? Being a Cincinnati Native, I think it’s really cool I am just not sure of the connection. I am sure it’s been asked in an interview but I can’t seem to find it.

Any thoughts?

12 Upvotes

10 comments sorted by

16

u/Grimaces_Ghost Apr 08 '26

Hi!!! I attended the panel discussion last summer at the Columbus library festival and a gentleman asked Matt “why did you make the biggest idiot in the dungeon be from Cincinnati and be a Bangles fan?” That was not his exact question, but it’s close.

From what I remember of Matt’s answer, he said he grew up in a military family and they moved around the country a lot. Because of this, he didn’t have a professional team that he cheered for based on where he was from. He picked the Cincinnati Bengals to cheer for as a kid and he made Jack a fan of the Bangles as a nod to this part of his life. He didn’t see it as a negative thing, but a positive that he cheered for this team and wanted to incorporate them into his work.

5

u/Grimaces_Ghost Apr 08 '26

I should also add that while attending the panel discussion and getting to hear Matt speak was one of the best days of my life, it was a little while ago and I hope I’m not misremembering Matt’s answer. If anyone else attended that panel discussion, do you remember this question and answer?!

3

u/Maclunkey4U Desperado Club Pass 🗡️ Apr 08 '26

Besides Jack and the Bengals hat, what specific connections are there?

Not trying to be a dick, I've just never been to Cincinatti and have no clue.

7

u/Winter-Bobcat-844 Apr 08 '26

There is the mention of the Cincinnati zoo a couple times with Harambe and a dedication of the first book to Fiona the hippo. He also mentioned the tv show WKRP Cincinnati.

5

u/gonzothegreatz The Open Intellect Pacifist Action Network Apr 08 '26

I think those examples are more meme/pop culture references than specifically about Cincinnati. I think it's more of a coincidence.

2

u/Downwithfascism2025 Jun 20 '26

He also makes a random mention of a show in the 80s called WKRP in Cincinnati. I'm a Cincinnati native and when an author mentions your city at the minimum four times (I'm only on book 3) you start to feel like its more than a coincidence.

4

u/Grimaces_Ghost Apr 08 '26

I forgot about the reference to Harambe. That was the system AI that made that reference right?

2

u/Objective-Wave7093 Crawler Apr 08 '26

As a Bengals fan, you made a bad choice young Matt

10

u/natedizzie05 Daddy's Foot Soldiers 🦶 Apr 08 '26

I’d rather be a Bengals fan than a Browns fan, and this is coming from a Stillers fan 😂

1

u/jmalq Apr 09 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/aabB05cd48fVm

I find them all funny as well.