Theogony of Kairos Explores High-Level Play in ‘Dungeons & Dragons’

The new streaming series Theogony of Kairos takes viewers on a rarely explored aspect of Dungeons & Dragons: prolonged high-level gameplay.

Produced by Wizards of the Coast partner Maze Arcana, Theogony of Kairos explores what happens when a group of “Level 0” commoners are suddenly taken to Level 20. “Basically, they’re a group of super-powered peasants,” Dungeon Master B. Dave Walters told ComicBook.com in a recent interview.

With Walters in the DM seat, Theogony of Kairos features a diverse cast that includes Sam de Leve, Alcuin Gersh, Ash Minnick, D’artagnan Mattaliano, and Poisal. Fans of Geek & Sundry might recognize a few of the cast members from shows like Shield of Tomorrow or We’re Alive: Frontier, and Walters co-hosts Ask Your Black Geek Friend on the popular streaming network. Walters also recently appeared on D&D’s Stream of Many Eyes in the unique “off-table” session that pushed players to solve puzzles while exploring a set of the city of Waterdeep.

Theogony of Kairos is unique among D&D streaming sessions in that it totally skips level progression entirely. Usually, D&D games start off at low levels and slowly progress as the players battle tougher and tougher threats, but the characters of Theogony of Kairos are quickly granted near unlimited powers. Most D&D games end either before the players reach Level 20 or shortly afterwards, so Walters’ goal with Theogony of Kairos is to explore a relatively unexplored part of the game and give viewers something that stands out from other D&D streaming shows.

“To me, Dungeons & Dragons is a game of wonder,” Walters said. “Tales of grizzled knights and legendary wizards are wonderful of course, but I’m far more interested in the farmer who finds the magic hammer.”

While high-level gameplay is fun to watch, Theogony of Kairos also provides a chance for some very interesting character examination. The first episode shows the characters at Level 0, giving the chance for viewers (and the players) to understand what motivates these characters.

“Who they are as avatars and demi-gods won’t matter unless we understand who they were before,” Walters said. “Because we have taken the time to actually meet and more importantly understand the people of the town of Erlebnis, their stories will stay relevant even when the gods walk among them. How many level 20 players still care about the little orphan baker girl? Would you?”

Forcing players to examine how they’d react to unlimited power also brings out another less-talked about part of Dungeons & Dragons: the introspection that comes with putting characters in situations where they have to make hard choices. “At it’s core, storytelling is about showing us who we really are,” Walters said when discussing the intersection between fantasy and the real world. “Heroes and villains exist to make us look at ourselves in the mirror. Heroes are selfless, make sacrifices, learn and grow; villains are selfish, think only about themselves, and learn nothing about themselves or their world. The beauty of D&D is that we get to *live* our stories!”

Notably, there’s at least one real world issue that could impact Theogony of Kairos‘s story: the ongoing immigration and migrant debate. The first episode establishes that the Empire of Kairos has an influx of migrants from a recently ended war, with different NPCs arguing over how they should be treated. While Walters notes that the storyline is purely coincidental to the real world debate over immigration in the United States, the show could provide another way of examining an already contentious topic.

The cast of Theogony of Kairos is also incredibly diverse. Walters is black man (one of the first to DM on the official D&D channel) and the cast also includes veterans, non-binary and gender-fluid players, and even a Wicca practitioner. “There’s room for EVERYONE at our table,” Walters said. “I want white males to feel just as welcome in our community as everyone else.

“But I am absolutely overjoyed to be one of the first black guys to be DMing on the official Twitch channel, because I hope it encourages someone else out there to expand their horizons and try something new. I want LGBTQ+ people to see themselves portrayed as being beautiful and strong. I’m hoping that the Theogony of Kairos is going to be a place where heroism and villainy will wear a hundred masks, and I want everyone to see their face in some of them.”

Ultimately, Dungeons & Dragons is a game about choices and Theogony of Kairos looks to present some very interesting ones to players. “As you watch our characters grapple what to do with these powers, you have to ask yourself what would I do with those powers?” Walters said. “Would you fireball the bad guy who has a family at home who adores him? Would you save the sadistic bully from being eaten by starving goblins? Would you spend your day conjuring food and water for the poor, or stealing from the rich? Or would you just take over and show them how things should REALLY be done?”

Theogny of Kairos airs on the Maze Arcana Twitch channel. The show will air on Wednesday nights until July 18th and then will air on Sundays from 12 PM to 3 PM PT for six weeks. After that, the show will continue as long as the cast wants to play and the players want to watch. Past episodes of Theogony of Kairos can be viewed on demand on the Maze Arcana Twitch channel.