TV REVIEW: Dungeons and Drag Queens – Season 2, Episode 6: The Battle for Darktide

Title: Dungeons and Drag Queens
DM: Brennan Lee Mulligan (Dimension 20) 
Players: Monét X Change (she/her) as Troyánn (she/her), Alaska Thunderfuck (she/her) as Princess, Bob the Drag Queen (he/him/she/her) as Gertrude (she/her), and Jujubee (she/her) as Twyla (she/her)
Streaming Service: Dropout ($5.99 / month)
System: Dungeons and Dragons 5e

With nails on loan and a kraken on the table, we return for this week’s episode of Dimension 20‘s Dungeons and Drag Queens! A wonderful shot of our lord of the sea shows that the kraken of Kelvorda is definitely a squid with those two long feeder tentacles and finned head. This artistic choice honestly surprised me at first. Octopuses (the more commonly accepted, less fun plural of octopus rather than octopodes) are smarter than squids; however, while the legend’s descriptions do lean more toward a colossal octopus, it seems the Dimension 20 Art Department went with the theory that kraken stories stemmed from sightings of giant squid.

Did I spend significantly too much time reviewing kraken mythology after seeing the art direction? Probably. Either way, we’re jumping right into combat, and those are the episodes where our questing queens have shined this season.

Numerous foes mount a construction of chains and platforms across the gigantic cephalopod. Other soldiers accompany alongside. With an enemy heavy field, there’s danger at every turn.

Jujubee goes first. Twyla takes to the air, leaving the water behind as she sets her hunter’s mark upon Inira. Three attacks for 40 points starts the round off strong, but her placement, despite Jujubee’s long debate, ends up putting her right in the midst of the Kraken’s long tentacles of a legendary action. Held fast, Twyla cannot move.

Racing to her friend’s defense, Troyánn attempts to free Twyla, but a tragic pair of Nat 1s have her only managing a single attack to restrain Aleksei with her net.

Gertrude manages to use the Kraken’s shirt for cover. With a fire ball, she incinerates two mer people, including freeing up a ballista to turn against the enemy. Also summoning her hound of ill omen, Gertrude attacks the prone Aleksei, rolling a Nat 20. Unfortunately, that opens her to the Kraken’s strike.

Queen Inira casts a protective shield, roaring and condemning her daughter. Mysaara launches into the water. As the souls of those she drowned gather around her, the fae launches at Troyánn while Hughie goes after Gertrude.

Flying into a rage, Princess lunges at Hughie, bloodying him and flinging him from Mustard’s back. Her attempts to sway the crocodile fails. Her power horrifies him instead.

Twyla takes to the ballista as Aleksei escapes his net and runs from the hound of ill omen. While the Kraken grabs Princess, Troyánn knocks two riders off their steeds, but the Kraken takes hold of her as well.

Queen Inira turns upon Twyla, attacking her with the frigid cold of the deep sea. Her rage also turns upon her daughter through Mysaara. Both of our heroines tumble into the low teens in hit points; however, Roy rushes to his daughter’s aid.

Nearly downed, Gertrude pulls herself back from the brink of death, downing a healing potion to get back to full health as she mounts a nearby shark and rushing Hughie. She sends Hughie into the maw of the beast, saving Princess from the Kraken’s beak.

The freed Princess wins Mustard’s favor, reassuring the frightened crocodile and riding him into battle. With a swing of her mighty ax, our brilliant barbarian decapitates the mer directing the Kraken’s tentacles and delivers a heavy blow to Aleksei.

However, in the midst of the chaos, a thunderous motor announces the arrival of Nyruth to Bob’s delight.

Twyla manages to land a blow on Inira, making her bloody while the Kraken wildly attacks, harming Roy as Aleksei stabs Spoll and attacks Twyla. Our favorite ice fairy drops. Aleksei manages to get in a blow as Twyla fights for their lives.

Still caught, Troyánn uses her thunder spear and wind to clear the field. Though her arrow fails against her mother’s shield, the half-elf / half-mer manages to clear much of the field. Unfortunately, in cruel response, Inira attacks, and Roy ends up swallowed by the Kraken as Spoll struggles against death.

Our questing queens use the boon, removing Inira’s immortality and turning it over to Nyruth. Though Inira loses control of the Kraken, the beast continues toward Darktide in its agony.

Princess jumps on the opportunity. Rolling a Nat 20, Alaska lunges at the Queen of Ever Deep, killing the former immortal. Mysaara moves to take the chains. With her love dying, Twyla pleads for the fae to see reason alongside Gertrude. A subsequent Nat 20 helps Twyla discover the paperwork proving Aleksei’s family betrayed the fae.

Aleksei attacks, and Mysaara rises in fury to defend Twyla. Furious, the fae of the drowning pool turns her fury upon those who deserve it. The pair work together, ending the pompous lordling. With the mixed bag of potions, our questing queens free Roy as Gertrude takes the reins, freeing the Kraken from Inira’s rage.

The questing queens save the world of Kelvorda once more.

Highlights

Brennan delivers on Chekov’s twine, and the group tie together the nets, making one big enough to contain the Kraken and help the injured beast to slow down.

Final Score (5 out of 5 Stars)

Reunions, curses, doubt, and mayhem, the Questing Queens showed how wonderfully they grew, learning from their first season and expanding their knowledge as they cleverly solved whatever Brennan threw their way. Though moments left me yelling out solutions, the four worked together, showing their strength and humor throughout this fantastical campaign.

More than anything, their combat strategy grew by leaps and bounds. Every single queen already mastered turn-of-phrase, puns, wry quips, and stinging one liners best suited for a bard’s cutting words. While Brennan did some hand holding in season one, he pulled back, attacking with much more force this go around and running our queens through the wringer.

Hopefully, we’ll be graced with a third season, so we may see where our daring drag queen darlings end up next!

Let us know what you think in the comments below or go over to our Discord channel to join the conversation!

Featured Image: Dimension 20

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