# Initiative: Meet the Cast at the Aurora Theatre [![[Initiative Play Promo Image 2026.png]]](https://auroratheatre.com/productions-and-programs/view/initiative/?gad_campaignid=23526789513) tags: #thoughts #theatre Curiosity finally pulled me away from my console and into a smallish theater. A crowd of mostly middle-aged women and a sprinkling of their younger offspring filled the seats, clearly expecting a somewhat elevated time. Instead, they found [a group of actors—who likely anticipated staging a sensitive, meaningful, emotionally constrained play—instructed to play](https://auroratheatre.com/productions-and-programs/view/meet-the-cast-campaign-initiative/) freeform *[[Dungeons and Dragons|D&D]]*. Joining them were an eager GM from the local game shop and the playwright of the production they will perform through April 19th.[^1] That's right. [My local theater is staging _Initiative_](https://auroratheatre.com/productions-and-programs/view/initiative/) for several months, running right to my birthday. Impressive, truly. Last night, they hosted a *Meet the Cast* event. I fought my way through the St. Patty's Day celebrants clogging the city streets just to watch my niche hobby stagger into the "mainstream." Roughly twenty-five people populated the audience—including myself, making for a respectable turnout. What did the game setup entail? The actors, who will portray gamers in the actual production, sat at the table. Only two had ever played *D&D* before; the rest were complete novices. Fortunately, Bill from the local [Level Up Games](https://levelupgamesatl.com/) (frankly, my favorite shop) stepped in as GM, bringing his considerable cleverness to the operation. He distributed character sheets to the visibly pleased actors. These weren't the exact characters they will play in the production, but rather inspirations for them. The cast used standard *D&D 5th Edition* character sheets, embracing all the usual tropes: an elven cleric and a halfling barbarian who relished raging. We watched a gnomish pickpocket who never bothered stealing a single item.[^2] A focused wizard managed to take charge twice before Lady Luck and Chance quickly shattered his illusions. Listening to a few second-level characters stumble through the dark and invite disaster provided excellent comedy. Early on, a stark realization hit me: watching people play either far simpler or vastly more complex games holds far more appeal. Were it up to me, my strategy involves shifting game mechanics every single show. They start with *D&D 2024*, transition smoothly into *[[Ironsworn - Starforged|Starforged]]*, and finally move into *[[Loner]]* and *[[Ensemble]]* (which essentially share mechanics). A taste of the *[[WaRP System SRD|WaRP]]* system might even make an appearance, followed by an immediate drop into *[[Five Parsecs From Home]]*. Suspending a massive screen over the players ensures the audience witnesses the tactical action firsthand. Wargaming without a visible battlefield is simply a tragedy. Frankly, I'd settle for *Initiative 2.0* to show a group of middle-aged classic gamers playing *[[Traveller]]* with their personal issues regarding family, paying their taxes, and maintaining their homes weirdly reflected in the context of the game. But I'm also a brutally cruel and twisted sadist, so take that as you will. One stark truth emerged early: a live audience—participating simply by remaining emotionally present, gasping, laughing, cheering, and clapping—creates an experience vastly superior to watching people stream RPGs online. The audience forms a necessary architectural pillar for successful live play. Maybe this is because passive participation rarely satisfies me. The idea of actively shaping the entertainment through shared interaction delights me. Running lighter, oracle-based systems—where the GM polls the audience to determine outcomes—promises incredible entertainment. In fact, an enterprising designer could craft a system specifically for this purpose. I lack a proper name for this methodology. *"Distributed game mastering"*? *"Agent-based narrative construction"*? The possibilities remain endless. *TL/DR:* I watched my local community theater play live *D&D* and surprisingly enjoyed myself. If you find yourself in the Lawrenceville area, go check out the play. Granted, the polished production probably won't provide as much raw amusement as watching novices fumble through a starter dungeon. If you have a local community theater, prod them into hosting a live tabletop session once a month. Encourage them to play good games. A genuine audience for this specific brand of live personal entertainment clearly exists. Don't leave an opportunity like this on the table. --- All right, I've said all the nice, cheerful, promotional things which nobody paid me to say, for the record. Now, I level some actual criticism—not at the concept or execution, as I genuinely enjoyed the event and plan to attend monthly if the Aurora Theatre continues hosting them. No, it's going to be a criticism of the way *D&D* is often set up, and you probably saw this coming. Handing a fresh player a standard character sheet bombards them with alien numbers and disjointed vocabulary. Yet, it omits the most critical element: what the character actually wants. The table skipped any discussion of individual or group motivations. We witnessed a classic cold open: *"A quest giver summons you, issues a directive, and offers immediate teleportation."* Naturally, everyone piled into the ritual circle. Cue the cool sound effect, and off they went. Sure, they held a stone to cast *Word of Recall*, but gave zero consideration to supplies, loot management, or much in the way of establishing context. It's building that context that I really enjoy in gaming. While I understand the rush to the action—typical of a random convention pickup game—spending just five minutes establishing internal goals and a unified group purpose works wonders. In a weird way, this is why I keep recommending *[[Fantasy World]]* to people who want to play character-focused, kitchen sink *D&D*, because of the way that the playbooks for classes and the group creation rules are set up. Motivations are immediately on the table. There's no way to get around them. I like those things. They immediately add to storytelling. They add to the player experience, even and perhaps especially for newbies. My other criticism is surprisingly focused on new players and is a criticism of GMing. New players forget that there are no time pressures when there are no time pressures. New players frequently forget to pause when no actual time pressure exists. They ignore sneaking and reconnaissance in favor of a constant, hurried sprint. No sneaking, no recon. Everything is go, go, go. A GM must step in and remind the table when they have room to breathe, just as forcefully as they must emphasize a genuine time crunch. Just stating, *"We spend ten minutes quietly tossing the room,"* elevates the play immensely. But all of that might just be me. I'm a critical bastard, and I understand that these things are really a refinement of presentation, both to the players and to a potential audience. That's my $0.02. Accounting for inflation, you now owe me $7,427.32.[^3] [^1]: This being posted 2026-03-15, for the record. [^2]: Save for a meditation pillow. He kept any ambition to greatness well hidden. [^3]: In Rials.