Date: 7th August 2026
Time: 5:30pm
Venue: Gilded Balloon Patter House – Doonstairs
Rating: ★★★★ (4/5) Reviewed By: Annabel Bruce
Undeniably one of the Fringe’s most unpredictable shows, Tartan Tabletop is a live Dungeons and Dragons (DND) comedy show. Every day is a new adventure, with different player characters, settings, and special guests. Special guests are usually other well-known members of the DND community, and they have the exclusive privilege of playing the only recurring character, Boblin the Goblin!
Although this show draws a crowd that is usually very well acquainted with the system, Josh Aitken, the DM (Dungeon Master), makes sure to explain and introduce the rules of DND as the show goes on. The majority of the show consists of improvised dialogue and comedic moments, with some small combat encounters thrown in. Gameplay in general is simplified, with players and DM favouring ease of play over fiddling with game rules. The cast also do well at keeping the show moving, rarely drawing things out more than needed. There is some audience participation in this show. Booing and cheering are encouraged and a member of the audience got to roll a huge foam 20-sided dice.
The show I went to see took place on a UFO. The characters were people from different points in time who had been captured and cryogenically frozen. Their pods had malfunctioned and released them, giving them a chance to escape. These characters had not previously been discussed by the cast, and consisted of Judas Iscariot, Leonardo DaVinci (combined with the body of his ninja mutant turtle counterpart), Avril Lavigne and Boblin the goblin (as a not-so-normal random farmer).
The characters start from the pod storage room they wake up in. They then go to a lab, fight an ambush of guards, perform at a cabaret style bar, before arriving at the final room. In this room, they meet the space dictator Marsolini who is quickly seduced by Judas. Judas was then shot by Boblin who does not approve of Marsolini’s politics, before the remaining characters use escape pods to travel to an Earth that had suddenly been transformed into one where every human resembles the cast member Niall Curran. While this definitely made for a chaotic experience, it was also incredibly funny, as well as genuinely heartwarming and suspenseful at times.
The Fringe is packed with polished productions and scripted comedy as well as improvisational performances. Tartan Tabletop is one of the best of those, excelling in just how well the cast works together, even with the addition of the special guest. They play very well off each other’s jokes, bouncing off each other to tell a unique story. It shows the joy, unpredictability, and improvisation that have made tabletop role-playing games such a cultural phenomenon while remaining an entertaining live show in its own right.
Tartan Tabletop is a one-hour show, starting at 5:30pm, and runs throughout the entire Fringe. It can be found at the Gilded Balloon Potter House. If you want to see something else made by the same people, but want something more staged, check out Amadan and Mortair Kill the King, a comedy play written by Alex Bathe and Josh Aitken.
Undeniably one of the Fringe’s most unpredictable shows, Tartan Tabletop is a live Dungeons and Dragons (DND) comedy show. Every day is a new adventure, with different player characters, settings, and special guests. Special guests are usually other well-known members of the DND community, and they have the exclusive privilege of playing the only recurring character, Boblin the Goblin!
Although this show draws a crowd that is usually very well acquainted with the system, Josh Aitken, the DM (Dungeon Master), makes sure to explain and introduce the rules of DND as the show goes on. The majority of the show consists of improvised dialogue and comedic moments, with some small combat encounters thrown in. Gameplay in general is simplified, with players and DM favouring ease of play over fiddling with game rules. The cast also do well at keeping the show moving, rarely drawing things out more than needed. There is some audience participation in this show. Booing and cheering are encouraged and a member of the audience got to roll a huge foam 20-sided dice.
The show I went to see took place on a UFO. The characters were people from different points in time who had been captured and cryogenically frozen. Their pods had malfunctioned and released them, giving them a chance to escape. These characters had not previously been discussed by the cast, and consisted of Judas Iscariot, Leonardo DaVinci (combined with the body of his ninja mutant turtle counterpart), Avril Lavigne and Boblin the goblin (as a not-so-normal random farmer).
The characters start from the pod storage room they wake up in. They then go to a lab, fight an ambush of guards, perform at a cabaret style bar, before arriving at the final room. In this room, they meet the space dictator Marsolini who is quickly seduced by Judas. Judas was then shot by Boblin who does not approve of Marsolini’s politics, before the remaining characters use escape pods to travel to an Earth that had suddenly been transformed into one where every human resembles the cast member Niall Curran. While this definitely made for a chaotic experience, it was also incredibly funny, as well as genuinely heartwarming and suspenseful at times.
The Fringe is packed with polished productions and scripted comedy as well as improvisational performances. Tartan Tabletop is one of the best of those, excelling in just how well the cast works together, even with the addition of the special guest. They play very well off each other’s jokes, bouncing off each other to tell a unique story. It shows the joy, unpredictability, and improvisation that have made tabletop role-playing games such a cultural phenomenon while remaining an entertaining live show in its own right.
Tartan Tabletop is a one-hour show, starting at 5:30pm, and runs throughout the entire Fringe. It can be found at the Gilded Balloon Potter House. If you want to see something else made by the same people, but want something more staged, check out Amadan and Mortair Kill the King, a comedy play written by Alex Bathe and Josh Aitken.
Find your tickets HERE!: Tartan Tabletop: A Dungeons & Dragons Comedy | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
