Trav Nation and Tav Nation will collide this Thanksgiving when My Brother, My Brother, and Me‘s Travis McElroy takes the stage as the next celebrity guest of The Twenty-Sided Tavern.
The Escapist had a chance to catch up with the Big Dog himself about his upcoming guest run in the off-Broadway adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons, the status of The Adventure Zone‘s animated adaptation, and, of course, Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 before he set off for the Big Apple.
The Escapist: First, congratulations on booking your stay at The Twenty-Sided Tavern!
I watched the video of The Twenty-Sided Tavern cast reacting to the announcement that you’d be the next celebrity guest to join their fall lineup, and I get the sense that the excitement they expressed flows both ways. How eager are you to jump on stage with this crew and play around in their sandbox?
Travis McElroy: The level to which I am excited can not be measured! I saw the video you’re referencing, and it was an absolute flood of dopamine. Every single cast member is so talented and fun! I can’t wait to get up on stage with them.
You’re joining an absolutely stacked slate of Twenty-Sided Tavern guest stars, one full of talented TTRPG personalities you’ve collaborated with previously. Have you reached out to Felicia Day or Aabria Iyengar about their experiences at The Twenty-Sided Tavern? Have they passed along any advice?
It was the first thing I did! They had nothing but good vibes and exciting tips about just getting up there and playing. Well, they did also warn me to start endurance training because the show is a mile a minute. On Aabria’s advice, I have started looking into the possibility of getting adamantium knees.
Day and Iyengar both played The Mage, but you’ll be fulfilling The Trickster role. Is there anything you’re looking forward to in taking up that particular mantle?
They have given me the best Thanksgiving gift I could ask for! When they first told me the characters I would be playing, I told them that they were SO GOOD that I was jealous I hadn’t come up with them! Particularly, Wondro the “Wizard’! I can’t stop thinking of stupid bits for this little weirdo! But all three of my guys are amazing. I get to play some of the wildest roles and just do bits non-stop. It’s an absolute dream.
The Twenty-Sided Tavern plays a role in celebrating Dungeons & Dragons‘ 50th Anniversary, but that’s not the only significant TTRPG milestone this year as your family’s actual play podcast The Adventure Zone turns 10. Though not every season of The Adventure Zone utilizes D&D as its system, how does it feel to have spent a fifth of the game’s history as an ambassador of tabletop roleplaying?
After a decade of doing TAZ, nothing makes me happier than when someone says they got into TTRPGs because of us. I didn’t start playing until I was in my twenties, and I feel like I missed out by not starting sooner! I have met some of the most amazing people I have ever known by getting to be a part of this community and I feel so lucky to be a part of it.
Can you speak a little about how you’ve seen both Dungeons & Dragons and the TTRPG landscape as a whole evolve in the years since you started The Adventure Zone?
I think the thing that has made me the happiest is seeing people get more and more comfortable playing TTRPGs the way they want to. You can watch/listen to 10 TTRPG actual plays and see 10 different styles of play. There’s always elements of gatekeeping, but I feel like the TTRPG as a whole just keeps getting more welcoming and open to growth.
If you could see any Adventure Zone campaign receive a staged adaptation ala The Twenty-Sided Tavern, which season would you pick? I’m personally fascinated by picturing what Steeplechase would look like from a sheer set design perspective.
We have been doing TAZ vs. Dracula for live shows recently and they are so adaptable and chaotic in the best way. I could totally see that working great in the TST style. OH! I would also love like a “universe mix-up” kind of thing where we each have three of our characters from different campaigns for the audience to choose from and each show is a random combo of characters from different arcs working together.
I’d be remiss not to mention the prospect of The Adventure Zone animated series when discussing the current wealth of actual play adaptations. I was actually in attendance at your San Diego Comic-Con panel in 2023 where you alluded to not quite being able to discuss that project yet. Are things still fairly hush-hush on that front, or is there anything you can share?
WELP! The truth is, the development/adaptation process from the TAZ animated show has fallen through. There are a couple reasons, but I would say the biggest factor was issues related to the pandemic and the impact it had on the entertainment industry. That said, we have a version of the series in our back pocket that we really love and would be excited to revisit it at some point!
You’re wrangling The Adventure Zone’s signature brand of familial chaos as the Zookeeper for the current Abnimals campaign. How does it feel to step back into the Game Master’s chair for this season?
It’s a lot of responsibility, and I don’t take it lightly! I have done a lot of learning and work on game running over the last couple years, and I’m always looking for ways to improve. That said, my mom always used to say, “All you can do is all you can do.” Basically, at a certain point, I am doing everything I can and if that is the case, the next step is to relax and have fun!
Did you find the adjustment to a family-friendly format for Abminals difficult given The Adventure Zone’s history of blue humor? Were there any unexpected challenges in achieving that tone shift?
Honestly? Not really! I have an 8-year-old and a 4-year-old, and I just record with the mindset of “Would I be okay listening to this if they were in the car with me.” That said, I wouldn’t really call the show “family-friendly” in the way most people would think of it. Like, we make jokes you would hear in Pixar. Well, I say that but they make jokes about “lugnuts” in Cars.
We’ve discussed your impressive TTRPG resume, but you have a rich theatrical background as well, and I’d love to ask you the same theater nerd question I asked Felicia Day before her guest run on The Twenty-Sided Tavern. If you could play or run a TTRPG set in the world of any musical or straight play, which would you choose?
THIS IS SUCH A GOOD QUESTION! Okay, first answer: Midsummer Nights Dream! So much fey chaos and built-in wild NPCs, it’s a perfect setting for a campaign. I could also see Scarlet Pimpernel working really well for a swashbuckling adventure or Phantom of the Opera as a spooky murder mystery. But obviously, the correct answer is Cats.
Will the November 27 through December 1 dates of your Twenty-Sided Tavern guest run impact your ability to watch and review Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 by Thanksgiving this year or do you and your ‘Til Death Do Us Blart co-hosts already have a strategy in place?
We’re gonna record plenty early enough that it won’t conflict, THANK GOODNESS! I’m actually really looking forward to watching it this year. Well, right now I am. I’ll probably feel different when I actually sit down to watch it. Sometimes I have to watch it in 20-30 minute chunks to give my brain a break.
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat today, Travis. Is there anything else you’d like to add about your upcoming visit to The Twenty-Sided Tavern before you go?
I can not stress this enough: If you are a fan of The Adventure Zone, you will LOVE The Twenty-Sided Tavern. It is such an amazing show and no two performances are the same! It’s going to be an absolutely wild ride and I hope to see you there!
Tickets to catch Travis McElroy’s limited-time engagement at The Twenty-Sided Tavern are available now on the show’s official website.