Monstrous Mini-Review: The Twenty-Sided Tavern (Off-Broadway Show)

Before I forget...and while I'm thinking about positivity...here's a little writeup I've been meaning to do for a while.  Why is it on the topic of positivity?  Well, in the wake of the election a couple of weeks ago, when a lot of folks (especially in NYC) found themselves a little...eh, somber...the Off-Broadway show The Twenty-Sided Tavern (hereafter "the Tavern") opened the doors to its 11/7 show at Stage 42 to all interested parties on a first-come, first-served basis.  I don't know, maybe they have a lot of empty seats on Thursday nights anyway.  It still seems like a pretty cool gesture.

As for me, on Sunday 10/13, Laura and I took advantage of the ticket deals of NYC Off-Broadway Week to visit the Tavern, which turns the quirks of a D&D adventure into a stage production.  I had been intrigued by this since I first heard about it (maybe before it even became an official D&D entity), so I was pretty happy to see how the game I love translated to the art form I'm increasingly becoming a fan of.  I'm kinda kicking myself for not writing this up sooner...but I guess better late than never in sharing some thoughts on this fairly interesting appearance of RPGs in pop culture...

Let me say up front that for some reason, I imagined we had something a little different in store for us when we entered the theater.  I can't say exactly what set my expectations as they were, but I kind of thought I was going to see a fantasy story with Off-Broadway (so, pretty high) production values and some nods to roleplaying conventions.  And I knew the plot involved audience choices so that every show ends up being a little different.

What we actually watched was somewhere in between an actual-play show (which I don't watch or listen to very much) and a full stage production, with a very heavy dose of improv theater (and indeed...comedy) mixed in.  That description is certainly not to tear it down; I was honestly very impressed by how much it felt like an actual game was in progress (in a way, it really was).  It was like the stage show provided a framework that allowed a full table of over-the-top personalities to shine, when in our games at home, you really can't have too much of that good thing, or it goes off the rails pretty quickly.

There's a lot of audience participation!  (Btw, if you're in these pics and don't want to be on here, please just let me know...)

The story, however, was very skillfully guided by DM Conner Marx and Tavern Keeper Alex Stompoly.  They definitely made some concessions to the fact that they were playing this out on stage for an audience.  When the first combat started, I thought, "Uh...is this what we're doing the rest of the show now?"  But after about three rounds, there was this sort of declaration of "okay, we see how this is playing out," and rewards and consequences were doled out to keep the game flowing.

The story did not lack detail, however.  I lost track of specifics exactly as I do when I'm playing D&D, and I still enjoyed watching it all come together.  I would say that's the thing that cements my ability to declare that I really liked the show...the story was somehow both very linear and all over the place at the same time...and that appeals to me because it's exactly how every D&D adventure ends up feeling.

There's one performer designated each show to be the Warrior, the Mage, and the Trickster, with the exact characters they play changing up each night.  Apparently, there are more than 30 possible characters, and when you combine that with multiple paths for the adventures...and I think there was some rolling for character details (there were certainly some interesting rolls on random tables as the game progressed)...well, it's easy to see how every performance ends up being unique.  I'll probably have to go back at some point just to see how much my two random (heh) experiences differ.

Our Trickster for the evening

In case it needs to be said, all of the cast members are very talented.  (For our show, the Warrior was played by Will Champion, which is just a perfect name for a Warrior.)  They play off of each other and the audience very well.  Some folks are sure to feel that a selection of the jokes are too juvenile (drinking and sex, hahahahaha)...but, uh, I think those jokes probably landed pretty well overall with the target audience.

I left the theater thinking that to fully enjoy the show, you probably need one of (1) familiarity with (and love of) the source material (a lot of the humor is also connected to fantasy RPGs); (2) strong interest in improv; or (3) a tendency to go with the flow and just enjoy chaotic stuff that you might not fully understand but would like to appreciate.  With that said, it's easy to come across testimonials like this Reddit post that indicate it's just a good show that can be enjoyed by someone who's never played D&D before.  The audience participation probably goes a long way in making sure of that.  There's a lot of influence by the crowd (via electronic decision-making polls, trivia, actual stage participation by selected audience members, and at least one pretty cool puzzle that gets you interacting with your neighbors in the crowd).

Oh, and the theater is nicely decorated to evoke the Forgotten Realms...

Hmm.  Maybe I'll go in costume next time...?

The Tavern really is unlike anything else I've experienced, but it was very familiar at the same time (how's that for hedging?).  I know Laura enjoyed it, but I also know (via her own words) that this was influenced somewhat by seeing me enjoy it as much as I did (she's sweet that way).  I'm not sure she would have dug it as much otherwise...but I also think there aren't going to be too many people who just find themselves at that show without a connection to the material, either from their own life or that of someone close to them...or at least who have an interest in watching how this crazy thing we call D&D plays out.  And make no mistake...this is definitely D&D, and a lot more faithful to the game, as it's actually played, than any of those popular dragon shows can claim to be.

I haven't seen an ending date, and I think they're booking shows out through next April, so it appears that there are still plenty of opportunities to experience the Tavern.  Special guests frequently make their way into the cast, and I'm sure a lot of folks are excited to see their favorite figures from nerd culture up there gaming on stage.  Oh, and performances in other locations are coming!  If you like D&D...and if you read this blog, that's a very strong possibility...you'll probably find it worthwhile to see what The Twenty-Sided Tavern is all about.

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And now that I've rambled way more than I intended to, how about I divert this all back to what I've been doing here on the blog?  Here's the Warrior from our show, converted to be a very quick 'n simple Monstrous6 starting character...just a few details short, I suppose...

Alistair

Aarakocra Paladin

15 HP, 19 Defense (plate armor)

Flies (2x walking speed)

Strength 3
Dexterity 5
Knowledge 1
Presence 3

Skills: Perform +4, Swords +2, Divine Magic +1

Goal: Vengeance, I guess...to please his deity...?

Quote: "Open your mouth, I'm going to baby-bird you..."

Lin-Manuel Miranda's Warriors is coming soon!

[Insert "come out to play" joke here.]

I just found out last week that the insanely talented Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame (along with In the Heights and the soundtracks for Moana, Vivo, and Encanto) has a concept album coming out next month (the one that starts tomorrow) based on The Warriors.  I'm pretty stoked.

Check it out HERE

As I mentioned recently, I've become a bit of a Playbill collector over the past few years, and my love of the transcendent musical Hamilton definitely played a role in that development.  And The Warriors...so, I found it relatively late in life, interestingly through learning about its potential influence on beat 'em up video games - specifically Double Dragon and Renegade - that I really liked as a kid.  But now, if you catch me on the right day, I'll probably tell you it's one of my favorite movies ever.  It's just so freaking...I don't know, stylish?  Beautiful?  Slick?  Cool?  I feel like a lot of folks of a certain age and outlook just have to admit, whether or not we think it holds up as quality cinema, that it's just badass.

It looks like Miranda is taking some interesting creative approaches - like casting women for all of the Warriors (plus replacing the Lizzies with some dudes called the Bizzies) and anthropomorphizing the boroughs of NYC by giving them distinct voices (maybe...I'm just guessing based on the cast list).  And the cast itself has some legends.

If you're interested in learning more about this most fortuitous combination of things I really dig, you can check out the album's website HERE.  I assume there will eventually be a stage musical, but either way, this looks awesome.

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And for a nerd touch, here's the film's closest-thing-to-a-hero Swan statted out as I've been putting numbers to characters lately...

Image from HERE

Swan

Warlord, the Warriors

15 HP, 11 Defense

Strength 3
Dexterity 3
Knowledge 2
Presence 4

Skills: Brawling +4, Courage +3, Streetwise +2, Knife +1

Goals: Survive; defend the Warriors

Quote: "When we get there, you stick close by, okay?"

Hadestown, Wall-Building, and the Gotham by Gaslight Effect

In my continuing efforts to become a liberal coastal elite, fully out of touch with my working-class roots [that's mostly sarcasm, in case it needs to be said], I've become a pretty big fan of Broadway musicals.  I've long enjoyed musicals [and (1) have even been playing around with writing one for like 20 years, and (2) think that an RPG that plays out like a musical might be the most amazing game I can imagine].  So, now that Laura and I live close enough to hop over for a day in NYC, we take whatever opportunities we can (and can afford) to see the best that musical theater has to offer.  (West End theatergoers, I'll entertain your arguments.)

Our current Broadway favorite obsession is Hadestown.  This musical has an interesting origin, as it started out in smaller theaters in New England, then was turned into a concept album by its creator, Anaïs Mitchell, in 2010.

Starting in 2016, the musical made its way to an off-Broadway theater, then to Edmonton, to London, and finally to the big stage of Broadway (although it uses a fairly small stage, to be honest), winning the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2019.  It's inspiring, as a would-be creator of a variety of media, to see that an idea was able to progress this way.  And in all seriousness, it is a freaking work of genius.

Hadestown tells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, set in what seems like a Depression-era New Orleans juke joint (as Hermes tells us, "Don't ask where, brother, don't ask when"), plus this setting's associated underworld, called Hadestown.  I could gush about pretty much every aspect of this production, but I'll try to keep it brief by saying that it is a complete work of art, with meanings that I'll probably be working through in my head until the day I take my own trip across the Styx.  It is also beautiful.  The underworld's dieselpunk aura is especially striking:

This is actually a shot from a Korean production, rather than Broadway, but the dark deco feel is still there.  Image from HERE.

The end result of this mashup of mythology and Americana is a near-perfect story that always leaves me wanting more, to the point that I start to imagine what other works of classical mythology would fit nicely into this cultural milieu.  I eventually recognize that overplaying the details and themes that make Hadestown so transcendent will probably just lead to a bunch of stuff that doesn't feel nearly as special anymore.  That little drive is always there, though -- whether it's due to my comic-filled childhood or my love of gaming, I inevitably want to expand the "Hadestown Universe" just to get more of it.  (That's a tendency I've chosen to call the Gotham by Gaslight effect.)

We took in the production for the second time last Wednesday...and while there are a number of excellent songs in the show, there was one that was just taken to another level that day.  Having watched the American presidential debate the night before, and listened to the anti-immigrant nonsense espoused therein*, I was struck by the remarkable fact that Mitchell wrote the song "Why We Build the Wall" way back in 2006.  Many viewers assume the show is just a statement on modern American politics...but it's really just a show about the nature of humanity and of being human, and this song just happens to hit a lot harder because of the world we live in now.

If you have a couple of minutes, I really, really recommend giving this tune a listen.  Here's a lyric video featuring the original Broadway cast (leading right into the last few lines of the first act).  Laura and I were a bit late to the game, so while we actually missed the runs of the original main cast members, we have not been left wanting.  Hades is currently portrayed by Phillip Boykin, whose performances have been jaw-dropping, to say the least.  (The last time we saw it, in the split second between the end of the number and the rise of applause, you could hear a guy a couple rows behind us just say, "My god...")

Now, to make sure I'm keeping this blog suitably ridiculous, I think I'll close this out by taking a look at Hades as a character in a Ghostbusters-type game.  So here goes...

Hades

Image from HERE

If we're using the "Ghostology" section of the old Ghostbusters RPG's Operations Manual, Hades would fall into the category of Really Bad News, which includes "demons, powerful gods, and the like."  This essentially puts him into a category where he doesn't need stats, because the PCs aren't going to be able to do much to affect him anyway...that is, unless they can find that one unique way to defeat him.  For the Hades of Hadestown, there are some key weaknesses that can be seized upon: (1) his greed and love of power, and (2) his genuine love for his wife Persephone.  Anything the players can do to impact Hades will have to feed off of the insecurity that comes from these two qualities of the character.

However...he should be a little more fun to play than that.  So, here are a few tidbits stolen/adapted from an OGL 5e take on Hades:

Spell-like Abilities (all at will): hellish rebuke (3rd level), mold earth, thaumaturgy, fear, phantasmal killer, wall of stone, gate

Soul Syphon: Hades inhales souls in a 60 ft. cone. Each creature in the affected area takes 13D damage unless they pass a Strength check with a difficulty of 21, which cuts the damage in half (rounded up).

Bass-Baritone: Hades' voice is really, really low.  Just do your best.

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* Yep, I know immigration is a complex issue (as they all are), and there is a discussion to be had on the proper approach to reform that accounts for both American safety and human dignity.  BUT...that bullshit last Tuesday?  That was nonsense.