Title: Burrow’s End
GM: Aabria Iyengar  
Players: Brennan Lee Mulligan (he/him) as Tula (she/her), Isabella ‘Izzy’ Roland (she/her) as Lila (she/her), Erika Ishii (she/him/all) as Ava (she/her), Siobhan Thompson (she/her) as Jaysohn (he/him), Rashawn Nadine Scott (she/her) as Viola (she/her), and Jasper William Cartwright (he/him) as Thorn Vale (he/him)
Streaming Service: Dropout

Dimension 20 is back for its 20th series with Aabria Iyengar taking the helm once more. Three quarters of Worlds Beyond Number take to the table along with familiar faces and new guests to follow a family of Stupendous Stoats in Burrow’s End.

Introduced through pure chaos, Burrow’s End begins with Jaysohn, played by Siobhan Thompson, attempting to show off while his sister, Lila upper cuts him to prevent him from showing off.

Siobhan has a history of hilarious familial dynamics. In Mentopolis, she played opposite the incredible Danielle Radford as cousins, but in Crown of Candy, Siobhan and Emily Axford embodied sisters twice over. While such connections can give players a leg up against the game master and other non-related players, it is clear from the start that Lila and Jaysohn aren’t a pair keen on working together.

If it wasn’t clear from their interaction that we’re going to get player versus player action, the switch from the Warren to the Blue Forest’s other stoat group underlines the sort of tension we’ll be seeing this season.

Viola along with her husband, Thorn Vale, aren’t part of the Red Warren. They travel with a group of nomadic stoats called the Lukura. Listed as a cult, the Lukura follows Thorn Vale.

The Lukura travel between stoat encampments in the Blue Forest, considering Thorn Vale a conduit; however, what that means remains not entirely clear. What is clear is that Viola wants her family to join them, and whispers about a lack of effective leadership in the Red Warren seem to be pushing Tula and Ava out. Even with that, considering Ava’s age and hunched back, a nomadic existence might not be possible long term.

Tula has a lot on her mind. Having lost her husband, she keeps extremely busy managing the Red Warren. Between the comments Lila overheard concerning a lack of leadership and everything that Tula does, as well as Ava’s pushing for her daughter to take a partner, suggests a patriarchal expectation despite the matriarchal lineage which connects our players.

Viola tries to convince her sister and mother to leave with the Lukura. While Tula doesn’t trust Thorn Vale’s motives and the cult of personality surrounding him, Ava prefers to stay due to the oncoming winter and her comfort with the warren.

Tula and Ava agree to consider it if they get further information and a clear plan, including a safer place to go. Despite the uncertainty, Viola and Tula have each other’s back. With two pairs of siblings, it will be interesting to see how the players take advantage of that connection or if other relationships take priority.

As a poisonous dust rolls in, we can put aside any doubt that this season was inspired by Watership Down. If we later have some scientifically modified animals come into play, we can revisit The Secret of NIMH.

Highlights

The rod puppets in the intro, which has a paper doll edge that is stylistically similar to the Good Omens intro, carries into the episode with shadow puppetry projected onto the dome. Jacob Surovsky (puppeteer/designer), Jackz Boone (projection illustrator), and Annalise Jensen (character artist) are the season’s artists.

Between Jasper’s makeup, which placed Thorn Vale’s scar on him, and Rashawn’s fantastic moss make-up tying her to Viola, it is clear we have players who aren’t just willing to dress in celebration of their characters but enthusiastic to do so. We’re used to Aabria bringing it, so expectations are high all around this season.

Final Score (5 out of 5 Stars)

Tensions are high, and family connects all our players, so where we might usually luck out with one duo, we have two pairs of siblings as well as the double parent connection with bonus grandmother and fretful husband/son-in-law. With Aabria at the helm, I expect the coolest of chaos. We’re guaranteed a great story.

Let us know what you thought about the first episode of Burrow’s End in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.

Featured Image: Dimension 20

The Boss Rush Podcast: The Flagship Podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network

The Boss Rush Podcast – The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, Stephanie, LeRon, and their friends from around the internet come together with other creators, developers, and industry veterans to talk about games they’ve been playing, discuss video game and entertainment based topics, and answer questions solicited on social media and the community Discord. 

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