Go on a Journey with the Sirens of the Realms

In an effort to find more audio and video Dungeons and Dragons sessions to watch, I stumbled across Sirens of the Realms.

Sirens of the Realms is a Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition play podcast produced by Maze Arcana and airs on the D&D Twitch channel.

On Sirens of the Realms, a group of Dungeon Master Satine Phoenix leads an all-female bard band, portrayed by the players, on adventures in the land of Faerun, which is set in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. The cast is comprised of actresses, cosplayers, and the occasional guest.

There are two seasons of Sirens of the Realms, along with special sessions. The group recently aired its second season finale. Sessions range from 3-4 hours, akin to shows like “Critical Role."

Sirens of the Realms is mainly a video series fans can watch either on DND’s Twitch channel or on Youtube. One of the benefits of the show being a video series, is fans get to see the players dress up like their characters.

The Siren's journey begins when they meet at an open mic night at the Yawning Portal in Waterdeep. They are approached by a magical music manager who promises them fame and fortune. For their first journey, the band journeys through the jungles of Chult.

For cartoon lovers, Sirens of the Realms is akin to shows like Jem, or Josie and Pussycats - it is a band who are performing in taverns, but also fighting evil.

Former players and enthusiasts who like music and creativity in their games will have fun watching the Sirens, especially when they break out into a song to cast spells in order to charm the crowd and gather information. The music and creativity from the Sirens add to the roleplaying experience and gives the cast an opportunity to test their musical and improv skills with their characters.

While all of the player characters are bards, they also have levels in other classes. Again, this adds some creativity to the roleplaying experience.

Sirens of the Realms is a show I would introduce my longtime DND friends to. Some experienced Dungeons and Dragons players may be irritated when one of the players makes an in-game, or if Phoenix allows one of the characters to get away with breaking a rule.

Players shouldn't dismiss Pheonix's DM skills if she allows a player to get away with breaking a rule. If she has a question about a player's move, she’ll make a note about talking to them after the session.

As someone who has played D&D in the past, I’ve been in games where a DM and a player have a question about the rules they spent minutes researching and debating the matter while holding up the game for the other players. Phoenix does not allow a potential question or rule break to interrupt the flow of the game.

Phoenix also has a couple of her own house rules. If a player drops their dice, they get a disadvantage on their next roll. If Phoenix drops a dice, she has a disadvantage on her next roll.

Adding house rules isn’t a bad thing. D&D rules are flexible and DMs should be allowed to add their own rules.

Fans can watch Sirens of the Realms on Twitch on the Dungeons and Dragons channel or on D&D's Youtube Page.