Dungeons & Damper: Inside the D20 will be a must-attend experience at Vivid 2026 in Sydney. Created by Wonnarua writer-directors Maddison and George Coles, with support from Studio Gilay and creative Brooke Collard, it’s an immersive Dungeons & Dragons-inspired adventure that invites players to face the power of a Creation Spirit, while learning about the importance of Country, and the tradition of Indigenous storytelling.
This is an experience that focuses on the real-world impact of mining and a lack of environmental care that aims to educate audiences through the lens of fantasy, and via the community that shared play can create.
‘We really wanted to see First Nations representation in [the tabletop roleplaying space],’ George Coles told ScreenHub. ‘But doing it in a really safe way, so audiences can expect to walk into a culturally-grounded space.’
Dungeons & Damper: Inside the D20 interview – quick links
What inspired the creation of Dungeons & Damper: Inside the D20
Maddison and George Coles fell in love with fantasy storytelling growing up, watching films and TV shows on VHS, like Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories. While they discovered Dungeons & Dragons early on, they grew up remotely on Country, and lacked the large friend group to play it.
‘It was a very small knit group of people,’ Maddison Coles says. ‘It wasn’t until we got older that we were able to play it with friends. We went to film school, and got to meet all kinds of creatives … when we got to university is when we first started really getting into [Dungeons & Dragons].’
The nature of the game as a fantasy escape appealed, but also as a safe space to express creativity.
ScreenHub: Dungeons & Dragons works wonders in education
‘D&D is so open for new people to play it … I think it being such a safe space makes it all the more reason why you should play it, and all the more reason why people should explore the stories that are possible in those spaces.’
In working on their own campaigns, the Coles sisters wanted to share these feelings, and develop a world where everyone could participate in community, to experience artful storytelling. They also wanted to create an experience that felt more personal and representative of their own culture.
‘The idea came from talking about Indigenous food, and the connection that has to culture, to community, to Country,’ Maddison Coles says.
‘Everything is so interconnected. Even though it’s something that’s so intrinsic to our culture and knowledge that we’ve grown up with and we know, it’s not something that’s fully explored on screen [and in other media].’
As Coles outlined, much of fantasy storytelling, particularly that found in Dungeons & Dragons, is very Eurocentric by nature of its creators. In the past, adventures were typically inspired by European folklore, and it’s only recently that more diverse cultural backgrounds and characters have been explored deeply.
‘It’s exciting to be able to explore what the genre is capable of, from a different cultural perspective,’ George Coles says.
‘We want more of our mob to be able to [build community through games], and for more people to find this space where you can explore through play. It’s so good as a tool for communication, and it’s so good as a way of community building.’
With this goal in mind, the pair began the long research process for creating a Dungeons & Dragons experience that would reflect their identities, while allowing players to learn more about Indigenous culture and practices.
How the Dungeons & Damper: Inside the D20 experience was created
Dungeons & Damper: Inside the D20 was in development for several years. As Coles explains, telling any story infused with Indigenous history and tradition requires plenty of research to be culturally appropriate, authentic and nuanced.
Within Indigenous communities, there are many diverse perspectives and insights into tradition. The Coles team wanted to explore many of these aspects in their storytelling, and to ensure that elements of Indigenous culture were included with deep respect, and with regards to their unique complexity.
‘We [spoke to] knowledge holders from various different groups and different sectors,’ George Coles says.
‘We spoke to Mindy Woods, a Bundjalung chef who has a native food forest, and talked about the relationship between food and country and culture, as well as Bundjalung seasonality – because it’s very different on Bundjalung country as it is down here on Gadigal. It’s all very different from one another.’
‘We spoke to Wonnarua knowledge holders and elders. We spoke to industry as well. We spoke to Pauline Clague, an incredible filmmaker who’s helped us figure out how to put a cultural lens on those Dungeons & Dragons characters, and to portray that respectfully and in a way that’s appropriate.’
For one example, the typical Wizard class of D&D was translated to be more appropriate to Indigenous culture, with the language, rules and lore around characters changed to centre Indigenous knowledge, while still remaining approachable for all players.
‘We’re all from different Countries, we all have our law, our own stories, and what is allowed and not allowed. It differs between each community, Maddison Coles says. ‘We were working with so many different mob from different communities to see what would be allowed.’
The Coles sisters aimed to be inclusive in their approach, creating a story grounded in Indigenous tradition which could still be understood and appreciated by non-Indigenous audiences, too. In Dungeons & Damper: Inside the D20, players will get the ‘groundwork’ of this unique approach, allowing them to learn more about Indigenous cultural elements, like the Creation Spirits, in a way that’s creative and artful, as well as respectful.
‘Putting the years that we put into it before getting to this point was definitely the first step in what this could be,’ Maddison Coles says. ‘Something that we’ve loved is the fact that we have done very in-depth consultation and research, about what we can share in all the different elements of this story, and all the different cultural aspects.’
As Coles says, it’s been a complex process, largely because there isn’t a blueprint to work off. Indigenous cultural consultancy tends to be ad hoc, with a segmented approach that doesn’t lend itself well to those looking to create culturally-sensitive works as inspired by their own culture.
‘One community knowledge holder has this knowledge, and then another community knowledge holder, even in the same community, has different,’ George Coles says.
‘It’s been difficult trying to follow cultural protocol and making sure we’re adhering to that, first and foremost, but also trying to re-sculpture this industry standard when it comes to Indigenous storytelling.’
Dungeons & Damper: Inside the D20 is a headlining feature at Vivid 2026
Dungeons & Damper: Inside the D20 will feature prominently at Vivid 2026. Across the weekend of 30-31 May, multiple free (ticketed) gameplay sessions will be available at the University of Technology, Sydney.
Everyone is encouraged to participate, to experience a fantasy world created with a grounding in Indigenous storytelling that maintains a unique, modern lens.
‘It means the world to us for Vivid to be so passionate in supporting First Nations stories, and being so passionate about supporting First Nations experiences – this being in the Vivid MINDS track, especially,’ George Coles says. ‘Their support has been absolutely essential.’
The Coles sisters hope that visitors will take part with an open mind, and leave excited about the possibilities of both Dungeons & Dragons, and the knowledge gained of Indigenous culture and practice.
‘I hope they leave excited,’ George Coles says. ‘I hope they get into supporting First Nations stories. Learn more about the Country that you’re on, or the Country that you work on, and the stories that are from those areas.’
‘There’s so many discussions that are happening right now in the world, there’s a lot of stuff thats really hard to process. To be able to create something that could possibly bring some joy or excitement for a future in any sense, would be amazing – especially [through a story of] Black joy and Indigenous sovereignty, those things that we’re wanting to explore.’
