There has been a resurgence in the popularity of tabletop roleplaying game juggernaut Dungeons and Dragons and shows like Critical Role and The Adventure Zone have captivated gamers and fans alike. Gaming channel UpUpDownDown jumped on board with its own D&D show Rollout. The show features WWE’s Xavier Woods – a.k.a. Austin Creed – Ember Moon, Tyler Breeze and Brennan Williams playing a group of characters as they journey in the world of Faerun.
Just got done shooting our sweeeeeet new D&D series for @UpUpDwnDwn – when it drops make sure to let us know if you guys want more 😁 @Wizards_DnD pic.twitter.com/yesbr7eFma
— Austin Creed (@AustinCreedWins) May 30, 2018
UpUpDownDown and Creed teased the show on social media earlier in the year. Rollout is a different show usually seen on UpUpDownDown in that it is a tabletop game as opposed to a video game. However, the show keeps in spirit with the channel that Creed has built in the last few years.
The party members are listed by race and class.
- Xavier Woods/Austin Creed – Sasha the tabaxi, which is a cat-person who has an affinity for taking the teeth of her fallen foes.
- Ember Moon – Kaliopi the eladrin rogue. Eldarin are extraplanar outsiders akin to elves.
- Brennan Williams – Sirias the dragonborn mercenary veteran. As the name suggests, dragonborn appear as dragon humanoids.
- Tyler Breeze – Turok the half-orc wizard who has no qualms of taking money from his foes – or anyone.
The other star of the show is Dungeon Master Arthur Wright, who has been playing D&D since he was 11.
This motley crew of buddies had been adventuring together for three character levels prior to the first episode and the chemistry between the four players show, especially in comedic moments.
Rollout’s first episode is only an hour long and it follows a similar format to D&D shows. As the DM, Wright leads the characters on the adventure while the players decide which actions to take. It is also similar visually as the screen shows each player’s face as well as Wright’s. However, folks also get to see the map the players are traveling and the foes they face.
The adventure begins with the group in the city of Neverwinter as they receive a task to bring supplies to the village of Phandalin. During their trek, they run into a group of goblins, which leads into the show’s first combat.
Rollout has a couple of unique additions, such as the “Big Dice Cam.” When a player receives an advantage on a roll – meaning they roll two twice and selects the higher number – they go to an area in the back and roll two big d20 dice and select the better role.
Another feature is the Critical Hit deck of cards. When a player rolls a critical hit, they pull a card and read the result. Examples include breaking a foe’s nose and applying triple damage, or slicing a goblin’s tendon which slows their movement.
There hasn’t been an announcement of the number of episodes for Rollout or if there will be any guest players on the show. If the show picks up steam it could be one of the most popular programs on UpUpDownDown and open an avenue of more tabletop content on the channel.
