A live play-through of Dungeons and Dragons with a witty cast which made the popular tabletop game accessible to geeks and novices alike in Tartan Tabletop: A Dungeons & Dragons Comedy.
Electing to attend a Dungeons and Dragons show with little to no knowledge about the game might’ve been an odd choice, but I went into this with an interest in seeing why this fantasy tabletop game is so popular and how this could be adapted into a comedy experience.
Vibe
The show very much felt like watching a podcast livestream, with our cast sat behind a table, mics and all. Despite carrying a warning of audience participation, very little was asked of the crowd and we were able to sit back to watch the Tartan Tabletop crew and special guest tackle a quest through Victorian-era Edinburgh to solve a grave robbing mystery.
This isn’t a spoiler as the show promises a new adventure each night, presumably with new characters taking part as I’m not sure how our cockney-accented “knocker upper” Bert (who made much of his job of waking people up by tapping on their window with a big stick) would translate to a different adventure.
The show
The Dungeon Master Josh Aitken definitely lived up to the role, taking charge of the evening and his fellow cast mates. He initiated much of the silliness but also kept the adventure moving through different (imagined) parts of the city.
The players certainly weren’t looking to make it easy, serving up a variety of accents and wild ideas to the challenges he placed in their way. Overall the hour passed quickly, with plenty of laughs secured from the quick jokes and improvised antics on stage.
I felt more perhaps could have been made from the presence of the audience to take it from feeling like a stream, to a live show.
In summary
This was a fun show with an energetic cast who were not afraid to lean into a joke. The £14 price tag could feel a bit steep for an improvised show for some, so think ahead if boyish humour is for you!
Tartan Tabletop: A Dungeons & Dragons Comedy
Summary
An enjoyable hour of live D&D, but more could have been made of the audience participation element.
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