We had a busy weekend! It was filled with nerdy events, just the way we like our weekends. We saw two shows: on Saturday we watched Twenty-Sided Tavern, which is a live interactive Dungeons & Dragons improv show. We saw the show in NYC in the spring with a group of friends and were fortunate enough to see the show again in our area.

The Stardew Valley Symphony sold out the first year it came to our area, so I was super excited to get tickets this time around. But let’s discuss Twenty-Sided Tavern first. For those who don’t know, this is a live D&D one-shot with audience engagement and interaction. You’re assigned to either be on the Warrior’s team, the Spellcaster’s team, or the Trickster’s team, which are the three main characters. Of course, it’s all teamwork and coordination because these campaigns are a team effort.

The actors are amazing! There are the three players, the DM, and the “Tavern Keeper” who helps the DM, ensure rules are followed, and does the tech stuff because the stage also has a giant projector screen to show off the backgrounds and visual and sound effects for attacks.

Ah yes, the chainsaw-wielding rubber duck… if you ever find yourself at this show, please be prepared for the best kind of chaos and unhinged moments. It’s a treat! No two shows are ever the same, depending on the audience’s choices, the actors, and the dice rolls. Cameras are set up to show their dice rolls on the big screen and after seeing this show twice, I can confidently say that Twenty-Sided Tavern audiences are the best kind of people to be around. When an actor rolls a nat 20, the eruption from the audience (and the people on stage) is amazing to be surrounded by. Likewise, when a nat one is rolled… well, we all collectively feel a punch to the gut.

We did win, though it was close! I do hope they come to our area again so we can see the show an infinite number of times. It truly is a good time and will guarantee to make you laugh and feel so good afterward.

It was a busy, but fantastic, weekend! The day after we saw Twenty-Sided Tavern, we were able to enjoy the Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons orchestra. We went with our cousins, all of us eagerly looking forward to this music since we snagged the tickets last December.

When the show begins, you use your phone to select your team and you will continue to use your phone throughout the show to help vote on decisions for your team. There are a few collaborative decisions and challenges to overcome as well. The players on the stage are fantastic, their improv second to none as they play off of the results of the polls.

What a job they have — acting and professionally playing these fantasy characters! They have costumes and props to help the story along. They even create items on the fly with the help of the audience. For instance, they asked the audience for some ideas for loot from a dead body and combined the ideas of “cultist rubber duck” and “a chainsaw.” A chainsaw-wielding rubber duck was pivotal in the final battle of the show.

But even with a nat one, the show continues on in the best way possible. The performers lean into every decision — no matter how good or random — and roll with them beautifully (pun absolutely intended). And when the final blow on the big, bad boss happens, we all feel the sense of pride and accomplishment at seeing the foe vanquished. …Well, technically the party can fail as well, but we won during our show!

It was an amazing time. The story was the same as the first time we saw the show, but the way it was woven and how the performers told it will never be the same no matter how often we see Twenty-Sided Tavern. We highly recommend the show if you ever get the chance to go and see it!

The next night, as if we weren’t tired enough, we went back to the same theater to see Stardew Valley’s live orchestra. If was an evening showing, but because none of us know how to read our calendar, we got the start time wrong. Thankfully, we ended up being early rather than late. (Four hours early… oops!)

A tall guy sat in front of me, but it was alright because I was able to still see enough of the musicians and the conductor. I enjoy watching the conductor even though I have zero clue what they’re doing. I also like playing a scavenger hunt in my head to pinpoint which instruments I’m currently hearing.

Yes! The little cartoon animations were adorable and I would love to see a cartoon show of the game. The projector showed stills of the game of the farm eveolving overtime with crops and animals. During the festival songs, it showed the festivals from the game. During the Wizard’s song, the background showed some trippy trees. (If you know, you know!)

I do wonder how many people on that stage knew what Stardew Valley was before getting that job. Have they played it before? Had they even heard of it? Did some of them give it a try to get familiar with the music? I’m sure they appreciate and enjoy the music just as much as we do regardless of their knowledge of the game.

If we could go back and do this weekend all over again, I totally would. I’m exhausted–we don’t get out much–but it was so worth it! I’m already eager for both shows to come back, and I hope they do. I’ll see Twenty-Sided Tavern an infinite number of times and seeing the orchestra play music from one of my favorite games will always be an experience.

Yes, we were super early… Oops. It wasn’t bad, though. We were with a couple of our cousins that we haven’t gotten the chance to see in a while, so we were able to catch up with them before the show started. We had similar seats that we had while watching Twenty-Sided Tavern, and they were fantastic!

It was good that we were able to see enough of the musicians. Watching the conductor is always fun, but I think I most enjoyed watching the three musicians in the back of the orchestra. Those three had some versions of drums, bongos, bells, chimes, and any other miscellaneous instruments that may have been needed throughout the songs. There was also a giant projector that showed images of the game itself, along with the occasional animation. I wouldn’t be upset if there was ever a short Stardew Valley cartoon!

As part of the audience, we were all delighted at seeing the trippy trees! The whole show was organized by the seasons in the game (hence, the title of the orchestra) and the conductor was wonderful in introducing each section. When we went from spring to summer, he mentioned how spring was a great beginning but, “unfortunately, we were rejected at our first Flower Dance.” I was impressed by the conductor, as I fully believe he too plays and enjoys Stardew Valley as a game.

I agree! Especially since the conductor also mentioned that what we heard were all brand-new orchestrated scores for the show. I imagine that the musicians would have done some research to get familiar with the sounds and vibes of the game itself. Of course, whether they knew the game or not, they were all phenomenal!

Definitely worth it! It was the perfect, nerdy weekend for us! We can’t wait until Twenty-Sided Tavern returns to our area, and any orchestra that wants to perform the beloved music from our favorite games is more than welcome over here.

Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons concert show | DoublexJump.com

Kris

Kris is the older sister of the pair, and has been playing video games since she was able to read. She was introduced to the gaming world mainly by her uncles with the Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 consoles.

As a child, she wanted to grow up to be a teenage mutant ninja turtle, but instead she works a typical 9 to 5 office job. Much of her other time is spent pet-sitting, writing, and role-playing shenanigans in tabletop RPGs.

Rachel

Often seen as the second player, Rachel grew up watching Kris play video games before she was old enough to pick up a Nintendo controller herself. Now she only sometimes gives Kris the hard bosses to defeat.

In real life, Rachel is a full-time pet sitter and part-time storyteller. She writes game reviews for Pure Nintendo Magazine, and is working on creating her own video game.