This is a bit of a shorter post, because for the second day of the Fringe, I only had one show booked. It was to give us a bit of resting time, and to take some of the pressure of a rigorous schedule off of our backs. This really worked well for my mom, considering that on this day, the show was only for Jamie and I: a children’s interactive Dungeons & Dragons show.

Now, for those that don’t know, my brother and I are massive nerds. We get this from both of our massive nerd parents, but in regards to the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons, that comes from our dad. Both Jamie and I play the game and love anything that has to do with it. When I began my research for the shows at the Fringe, I was surprised and delighted at the sheer number of D&D shows that were being put on. Most of them were 18+, being held at bars and with comedians that were certain to stray into the “not so kid friendly” territory while playing. Although these were perfect for me, they weren’t the right kind of show to take Jamie to.

The perfect opportunity presented itself to me as I singled out “Dungeons & Dragons shows” with the “Family theater” tag. The show was named Adventures! Journey Through Dungeons With Dragons, and it was a family friendly, interactive Dungeons & Dragons show. Perfection.

The show was being put on in the afternoon, so there wasn’t any pressure to wake up that morning. We missed breakfast entirely, but were able to utilize the conveniently close Starbucks. (I almost felt bad for confusing the baristas with my weird American order of “black iced tea,” but my need for that caffeine kick overrode the guilt.) Our family bonding time was over cinnamon swirls, our variety of drinks, and a good co-op game of Bloons TD6 on our phones. Afterwards, it was time for Jamie and I to head out on our adventure to Adventures!

It was a ten minute walk, and Jamie and I were cutting the timing a bit close. The route that Google Maps took us on led us back towards Victoria Street, but it had us turn down a street that branched off the main road before getting to Victoria. It was a street that led to a complete dead end, which was confusing, and a bit stressful as the time to the show’s beginning ticked down. Then, with a turn of head, and a bit of an eye roll at Google Maps, we saw that it was taking us through an alleyway. Walking through an alley with Jamie is always fun, because he inevitably compares it to “the dark alley where Batman’s parents died.” This alley was not dark, nor was it a murder alley, but Jamie mentioned it anyway, right before I told him to make sure to step over the mysterious liquid puddle.

The alley shot us out onto another main road which we took straight to the venue: The Three Sisters. I recognized the venue from a few other shows I had booked for Jamie and I, which was a comfort; I knew how to get back here now. That was nice, considering that we were really cutting it close with the time; there was a mere three minutes before the show started!

The bustling crowd of The Three Sisters’ outdoor bar was not easy to get through, but we eventually found our way to the building and to the upstairs venue room. We were the last ones through the door, ushered in by a man who saw us and went, “we’re just about to start!” We took two seats in the back, settling in just as the host of the show began to explain what, exactly, would be happening.

In a regular game of Dungeons & Dragons, each player in a group has a character and makes decisions for that character based on what the Dungeon Master (DM, for short), who acts as the host, presents to the player. In the “game” of D&D show that we were witnessing, it had an alternate set of rules to make the session interactive with the audience.

Rather than the three players (two comedians and one audience participant) rolling for their own decisions, there was a big, blow-up die that would be thrown to children in the audience. Usually, there are multiple kinds of dice that are used in Dungeons & Dragons, but to make it easier for the interactive gameplay, there was only one blow-up dice, and it was a six sided die. The DM was also taking audience suggestions for blanks in the story that had to be filled, such as one of the weapons that an enemy carried being… mounds of meatloaf. “Meatloaf” was yelled out multiple times during the session, and almost every time, it was implemented into the grand story of the three heroes that we watched.

The absolute air of chaos that filled the room was practically physical by the end of the hour. Dungeons & Dragons is a chaotic game when played by players that take it (mostly) seriously, and to have it done in the form that we watched took that chaos to an entirely new level. Jamie, though he wouldn’t admit it, laughed multiple times, especially when the heroes were forced by the die into failure. When he was given the die to cast, he had told me he hoped they would die from his roll. The glint in his eye was diminished by him rolling a perfect six with that blow up die.

After the show, we slowly walked back to the hotel. I was enjoying the atmosphere of Edinburgh while Jamie was more so trying to drag me back faster. That one show had been more than enough for that one day, so we settled at dinner with hungry bellies and yawning mouths, satiated with the chaotic Dungeons & Dragons adventure that we had watched.

A few photos of Jamie and I from the night…