The new TTRPG show The Black Dice Society is scheduled to air its first teaser episode (announced via Twitter) later today — Friday, March 26 – on Twitch and YouTube. As teased on the official Dungeons & Dragons site, The Black Dice Society is "an official Dungeons & Dragons stream set in the horror setting of Ravenloft," and teases the plot of this first season: "The Domains of Dread call out to six souls as they struggle to survive their journeys through the Mists. But behind it all, Darklords plot and scheme their own escape... even if it means our heroes doom."
This technically isn't the premiere episode of The Black Dice Society. Instead, it's referred to as "Episode 0.5. As seasoned Dungeons & Dragons players know, a "session zero" gives players and their storyteller a chance to sit down and discuss their characters, aspects of the game they're about to play and get a general feel for how the group dynamic is going to work. If you're a fan of behind-the-scenes extras that so many popular shows are doing these days, then you might want to drop in for this early sneak-peek.
The cast includes a delightful mix of familiar faces and voices that even newer TTRPG viewers will likely recognize. Mark Meer, most famous for his voice-acting role as Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect Trilogy, will be playing Brother Uriah Macawber, a priest with an urgent need to spread the good word of his deity to the Domains of Dread. Noura Ibrahim, a well-known actor and livestreamer, plays Nahara, a character whose presence in the Domains is shrouded in mystery. TTRPG fans may also remember her as Ib in Vampire the Masquerade: LA by Night from World of Darkness. Saige Ryan, another livestreamer, actor and founder of PixelCircus, plays Valentine, a resurrected socialite with a voice in her head who may or may not be a welcome guest.
Tanya Depass will be taking on the role of Fen, a part-drow, part-vampire outcast struggling to come to terms with her bloodthirsty nature. In her non-RPG life, she's the founder and director of I Need Diverse Games, a variety broadcaster on Twitch, and a passionate advocate for all things related to diversity, race, feminism, and the intersectionality between those subjects. Becca Scott, who plays the air genasi-barbarian Tatyana, is a Twitch streamer who also makes frequent appearances on the Geek & Sundry YouTube channel (among so many of her other professional accomplishments). Rounding out the cast of players is well-known Twitch streamer Deejay Knight, whose credentials include voice acting, hosting, advocating for STEM education, and entertaining fans with his successful space/sci-fi-themed Twitch channel. He'll be playing Desmond, a lycan who embraces his inner beast.
Last but not least is the Dungeon master, B. Dave Walters. He's a veteran of the TTRPG community on Twitch and YouTube (and fellow L.A. by Night alumnus) as well as a published writer and comic book co-creator. He'll be leading the players through the horror-themed Ravenloft setting, which the campaign is set to take place in. (Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, the official Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook, is available for pre-order now and will be released on May 18 of this year.)
Episode 0.5 of The Black Dice Society will be live on Friday, March 26, on Twitch beginning at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET today. The show's first episode is scheduled to debut Thursday, April 1 at 4 PM PT/7 PM ET.