by Ed Fortune
The influence of fantasy tabletop games (such as Dungeons & Dragons) on the arts has been a sight to see in recent years. What began as some wargaming nerds attempting to make small-scale battles more interesting by inserting a little bit of narrative has morphed into the free-form improvised theatre exercise (with rules) that can be played by anyone.
Tartan Tabletop: The Never Ending Quest is an improvised TTRPG show in the style of Oxventure / Questing Time. A tabletop fantasy roleplaying game is used to frame the story and provide a degree of order to the proceedings, and the game is played by comedians in front of the audience.
We have Josh Aitken as. the Dungeon Master, some regular cast and a special guest who plays the role of Noblin The Goblin. When we saw the show, it was a nice chap from Mistakes Were Made, another fantasy improv show.
The crew play an eclectic mix of classic and slightly odd D&D tropes. We have an angry dwarf, a dodgy rogue, a charismatic bard and so on. They swashbuckle, steal and blether their way through trouble whilst interacting with a plethora of fantasy characters. (We particularly liked the noble pirate Captain Father Figure ).
Josh keeps a steady hand throughout the show, slowing down the improv anarchy just enough to let it breathe. Rules and dice rolls are used to enhance the fun, not hinder it. They do have a big comedy dice for the audience to use, but it’s used sparingly; audience participation doesn’t interrupt the flow of the show.
With an all-Scottish cast and its heart on its sleeve, Tartan Tabletop is worth a look, especially if you’re a fan of D&D and similar games.
Check out tickets for the show here.
