Dungeons and Dragons series arrives with Marvel actress hosting

By Sarah Fischer

On Dec. 13, multimedia company Geek & Sundry announced the arrival of its new Dungeons and Dragons series “Relics and Rarities,” in which actress Deborah Ann Woll will be the Dungeon Master, or DM, and storyteller.

Woll is famous for her role as Karen Page in the Netflix series “Daredevil,” “The Defenders” and “The Punisher” produced by Marvel Studios, but is also well-known for her performance in the HBO show “True Blood.”

Woll’s interest in D&D began as a child, she told content director of D&D Beyond, Todd Kenreck, in a July interview with D&D Beyond, but she said participation didn’t begin until about seven years ago. She compared and contrasted the experience of playing the DM in D&D with that of her experiences in acting, describing the audience in live theater as more of a “passive” audience.

“Not even, like, in great live theater are people in the palm of your hand like that for storytelling,” she said, “There’s something so visceral and exciting about that.”

She also said her interest in the game runs parallel to her passion for acting in the sense that she loves to “see the world through the eyes of the character.”

The cast of players in the series will include Woll as Dungeon Master as well as fellow actors Julia Dennis, Tommy Walker, Xander Jeanneret and Jasmine Bhullar with participation from surprise celebrity guests in each session.

Geek & Sundry described the campaign as “established and rich,” but there will be no script involved in the gameplay, which is typical in a game of D&D. They released a teaser trailer on their website to give the audience a glimpse into what the scene of the series will look like. Each weekly adventure will be coupled with detailed sets and props which will help immerse the audience in the experience.

The campaign will air exclusively on Alpha, a streaming site for gaming enthusiasts, on Monday, Feb. 4, and according to Geek & Sundry, all members will get first access to new episodes. For those who don’t have an account, a free 30-day trial is available at projectalpha.com.