Greetings Adventurers - Dungeons and Dragons 5e Actual Play

BONUS EPISODE: Surviving with Nika

·1 hr 9 min·5 clips

Nika Howard, trapped in a rec center during a zombie apocalypse, must decide whether to search for missing companions.

The episode is a bonus actual play session where Nika Howard plays a fictionalized version of herself in a zombie apocalypse scenario. Dungeon Master Michael DeMauro sets the scene in a ruined city, with Nika holed up in a Youth Rec Center. Her three companions have been missing for four days after venturing to a crashed cargo ship for food. Nika decides to search for them, gathering supplies like rope, leather armor, and a utility knife. The gameplay involves navigating rooftops using ladders, avoiding shambling zombies, and crossing a highway filled with abandoned cars. Throughout the adventure, strange written prompts appear, prompting Nika to share real-life stories. These include her childhood in the country, breaking her wrist on a rope swing, and her early experiences with theater and choir. She discusses discovering the Greetings Adventurers podcast through a coworker, tweeting at the cast, and eventually joining as a guest and then a permanent member. The episode features multiple ad breaks for sponsors like Weight Loss by Hers, BetterHelp, and Mint Mobile. Nika rescues her companions by setting off a car alarm to distract zombies, and the group reaches the cargo ship, finding a Chewy container with pet supplies. The session concludes with the group establishing a bridge to the ship and considering it as a new base. The format blends improvisational role-playing with interview-like segments about Nika's personal and creative life.

As heard by us

A wobbly ladder and a survivor's note make the ruined rec center feel tense, tactile, and unexpectedly personal.

Nika Howard's push through the ruined Youth Rec Center works best as a small, physical suspense beat. The wobbly ladder is not treated like filler; it becomes a choice about nerve, placement, and trust in a structure that already looks ready to give way.

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Why you'd press play

You get a wobbly ladder, a post-it from survivors, and childhood game memories in one very strange afternoon.

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