Date: 22 May 2026
Venue: Laughing Horse @ The Walrus, Tusk Club
Time: 6:30pm
Rating: ★★★★ (4/5)
Sometimes the best Fringe experiences are the ones you never planned for.
My friends and I had actually arrived early for a completely different event when we wandered into RPJ: Role Playing James at The Walrus’ Tusk Club. The show was already underway, so we decided to take a seat while the people I’d been exploring Brighton Fringe with headed off to grab drinks.
The funny thing was that I’d only just met them myself. One had become a friend the night before, the other earlier that day, which only made the conversation that followed even funnier.
Host James Bennison spotted me almost immediately.
After joking that I’d apparently been abandoned, James asked where I was from before quickly moving on to how I knew the people I’d arrived with. When I explained that I’d only met them in Brighton, the audience seemed just as amused by that as they were by the fact I’d travelled down from Edinburgh to review shows at Brighton Fringe. There was a brief moment where it felt like the entire room collectively went, “Oh.”
What happened next was entirely avoidable.
Before I knew it, I had been selected as the first participant in the adventure. Armed with a character sheet and absolutely no warning, I found myself creating a character, choosing my abilities, selecting weapons and preparing to take part in a completely improvised fantasy quest in front of a room full of strangers.
Refusing didn’t feel like a realistic option either. The audience were already fully invested and I had a strong feeling that if I’d tried to back out, I would have been booed straight back into my seat.
RPJ: Role Playing James takes the concept of tabletop role-playing games and turns it into a fully interactive comedy experience. Audience members become the heroes of the story, making decisions, rolling giant dice and attempting to navigate whatever bizarre challenges James decides to throw at them.
The best part is that the participants genuinely shape what happens next.
Throughout the adventure, James would regularly turn to one of us and ask what we wanted to do. Whether we were facing off against a monster, deciding which weapon to use, pulling something from our inventory or attempting a completely ridiculous plan that probably shouldn’t work, the direction of the story was constantly being influenced by the people taking part.
There were three of us taking part in the adventure that evening, and what I loved most was that none of it felt scripted. Every decision had consequences, every choice sent the story in a different direction and there was always the possibility that a single dice roll could either save the day or make everything considerably worse.
What really stood out to me was how quickly the entire room bought into it.
Normally, audience participation at a comedy show means a few questions at the start and maybe a little bit of crowd work. This was something completely different. People weren’t just watching the adventure unfold, they were invested in it. Every roll of the dice got a reaction. Every decision was met with suggestions, opinions and occasional disbelief from the crowd.
I knew I was in trouble when my very first roll landed on a 19.
For anyone unfamiliar with role-playing games, 20 is the highest number you can get, so it was about as good a start as I could have hoped for. The audience absolutely loved it. People were cheering, shouting and celebrating a dice roll with an enthusiasm usually reserved for sporting events. I remained extremely humble about the whole thing, obviously, despite going on to hold the highest roll of the entire night.
There was screaming, shouting, cheering and constant laughter throughout the performance. At times the audience would practically leap out of their seats in anticipation of what was going to happen next, especially when a big roll or important decision could completely change the direction of the story.
What impressed me most was James’ ability to keep everything moving.
With audience members making unpredictable decisions and the adventure constantly heading in unexpected directions, there were countless opportunities for things to descend into complete chaos. Somehow, James managed to embrace that chaos while still keeping the story flowing naturally, which is a lot harder than he made it look.
I also appreciated how welcoming the show felt. Participants are given everything they need and there is no expectation that you know anything about Dungeons & Dragons or tabletop gaming beforehand. If anything, being completely new to it probably makes the experience even funnier.
The performance took place during one of Brighton’s hottest days of the year, and while the room was certainly feeling the effects of the heatwave, the atmosphere remained relaxed and friendly throughout. Participants were even encouraged to bring their drinks on stage, meaning I spent part of the adventure with two drinks sitting beside me while attempting to save the day. Not exactly how I expected my evening to go.
What makes RPJ: Role Playing James particularly interesting to review is that this isn’t the sort of show I would normally book for myself. In fact, had James not invited us in while we were waiting for another event, I probably would have walked straight past it. However, that’s also what made the experience so surprising. What started as a way to kill some time before another show ended up becoming one of my more memorable Brighton Fringe experiences.
What I enjoyed most about RPJ: Role Playing James was how different it felt from every other show I saw during Brighton Fringe. It wasn’t just something you sat and watched. It felt like stepping inside the story and becoming part of it.
Every performance will be different because every audience is different, and that’s exactly what makes the show work so well.
I walked into The Walrus looking for a completely different event.
An hour later I was sitting on stage with a character sheet, a beer, the highest dice roll of the night and a room full of people cheering on complete strangers.
If that’s not a Fringe experience, I don’t know what is.
If you missed RPJ: Role Playing James at Brighton Fringe but like the sound of it, James will be running a special live Dungeons & Dragons event at Brighton’s Royal Pavilion on 20 August 2026.
Taking place in the historic Music Room, the one-shot adventure promises an even bigger fantasy experience, with James acting as Dungeon Master for what Brighton & Hove Museums believe could be the first Dungeons & Dragons game ever played inside the Royal Pavilion. Tickets start from £42, with premium and livestream options also available.
After seeing how effortlessly James transformed a room full of strangers into an enthusiastic party of adventurers, I can only imagine what he’ll do with a palace.
For transparency: Following the show, I spoke with James Bennison, who asked whether I would consider reviewing it. Having accidentally wandered into the room, been selected as the first participant and somehow achieved the highest dice roll of the night, it felt rude not to. Any opinions expressed are entirely my own. James also immediately remembered my name from earlier in the show, which summed up the welcoming and personable atmosphere he had created throughout the evening.
