The Twenty-Sided Tavern Welcomes First-Ever Guest Dungeon Master Aabria Iyengar

Aabria Iyengar’s spell-slinging days at The Twenty-Sided Tavern are not behind her. Critical Role star will return to the off-Broadway adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons in her previous role as Spellcaster, chased by a trip behind the Dungeon Master’s screen to become the show’s inaugural guest DM.

The Twenty-Sided Tavern mounted its fittingly chaotic blend of improv, adventure, tabletop mechanics, and interactive theater in Spring 2024 as a part of Dungeons & Dragons‘ 50th-anniversary celebration, welcoming a bevy of guest stars from the actual play community last fall. Iyengar, alongside Felicia Day and her Worlds Beyond Number costar Erika Ishii, was announced as one of the first celebrity guests to have booked a visit to the tavern. “As a featured player, she brought depth, humor, and heart to her role as the Spellcaster,” The Twenty-Sided Tavern co-creator David Carpenter said of Iyengar’s November debut. “We’re thrilled to have her return, not only to reprise that role but to guide our audience on entirely new adventures as our first Guest Dungeon Master”.

Iyengar will return to New York’s Stage 42 as the Spellcaster from February 13-18, before her spellbook even has time to collect dust. The A Court of Fey and Flowers Game Master will arrive off the heels of The Twenty-Sided Tavern‘s latest, star-studded batch of guests including Ify Nwadiwe, Jack “the Whipper” Lepiarz, and Baldur’s Gate III star Neil Newbon. After hanging up her wizard robe, Iyengar will helm The Twenty-Sided Tavern‘s immersive adventure starting February 13, taking the final bow of her guest Dungeon Master run on March 11.

While chatting with The Escapist about The Twenty-Sided Tavern‘s blend of improv, audience participation, and tabletop rules, Ishii recounted: “Aabria [Iyengar] and I have discussed that it feels like actual play people were built in a lab for this”. It feels particularly apropos for Iyengar, the first Dungeon Master to whom Matthew Mercer handed the keys to Critical Role‘s Exandria, to add another notch to her impressive and ever-growing GM belt on the off-Broadway stage. In addition to Exandria Unlimited: Calamity and multiple beloved Dimension 20 campaigns like Burrow’s End, Iyengar has racked up adventure-running accolades with Candela Obscura, Worlds Beyond Number, The Adventure Zone, and Baldur’s Gate III stars Newbon and Samantha Béart in “Love is a Legendary Action”.

Tickets are available now for Iyengar’s upcoming appearances as both The Twenty-Sided Tavern‘s Spellcaster and Dungeon Master on the show’s website.