TALES FROM WOODCREEK Blends Escape Rooms, D&D and 1920s Hollywood in Season 2

Today we’re taking a look at Tales from Woodcreek, a new actual play directed by Hollywood veteran Ed Gass-Donnelly and starring Deborah Ann Woll that got a forward-facing presence through the Dungeon Dudes (aka Monty Martin and Kelly McLaughlin). Woll has been a longstanding D&D-involved actor. While most know her for work on Escape Room and Daredevil, she’s also been hosting APs and talking about the space for a while. This includes Relics and Rarities, her own AP.

The first season premiered last fall as a blend of D&D, reality television and escape room fantasy. The performers (Anjali Bhimani, Iman Vellani, etc.) were placed in a chamber and had to solve a series of puzzles to escape a witch’s curse.

The show received notable attention outside the traditional AP space. Now Gass-Donnelly and Woll are pushing for a second season. The pair announced season two, which they hope to crowdfund in August.

TTRPG Insider got to sit down with Gass-Donnelly to talk about what it was like to make TALES FROM WOODCREEK and what they hope to do next.

Where did the concept of Tales from Woodcreek arise?

Ed Gass-Donnelly The show came about a bit out of the blue. [Deborah Ann Woll] and I were already writing a TV series together, and I had written a feature film called UGLY that we were planning to make (which we ended up shooting right after Woodcreek season 1 and will premiere this Fall).

We’re both D&D nerds, and I was a fan of her show Relics & Rarities. At some point, I said, “I bet I could get us money to make a spiritual successor to Relics out of Canada” (I’m Canadian). Sure enough, I got us some grant money, and the question became “what kind of show would we want to create that felt inherently like us?” 

From my perspective, as a filmmaker with no experience with YouTube, I felt that if I was going to put all the time and energy into this show, I had to be able to contribute creatively beyond just turning on cameras, as one might in a regular AP. Around that time, I happened to do an escape room at a pioneer village in Toronto, and I sent Deb pics, and we got excited about the potential of doing something more environmentally friendly. Shortly thereafter, Woodcreek began to find its voice. It would be a mix of AP, escape room, and reality TV.  We really wanted to make something that felt unique to us and that we hadn’t seen before.

What aspects do you think help your show stand out compared to other APs or projects? 

Ed Gass-Donnelly: Deb is incredible. If you Google best dungeon masters in the world, her name inevitably comes up. So there is definitely community interest in anything she does.  I think between her and the Dungeon Dudes, we definitely started with an incredibly solid foundation. We then intentionally borrowed from the Relics formula by bringing in new celebrity guests for each episode who generally weren’t associated with D&D. Lastly, I think the show just looked unique. We attracted a lot of audience members who normally didn’t watch actual plays. We intentionally kept the episode length shorter and delivered a TV-style narrative experience that was visual, inventive, and, frankly… just a lot of fun. Our mantra the entire time was: how can we constantly surprise and delight our players, and I think that reflects in the experience of watching the show. 

As a filmmaker, how have you adapted or changed your methodology to accommodate the unique demands of storytelling in an AP scenario?

Ed Gass-Donnelly: As a filmmaker, I had no experience in unscripted TV, so a lot of the show was created through our gut instincts/hunches/mistakes, as well as some great advice and support from our collaborators, like cinematographer Martin Wojtunik. I was a fan of the TV series The Traitors and definitely borrowed from its structure. Because my background was in more traditional narrative film, I really focused on story structure and finding ways to be visually inventive with how we told the story…or how we surprised the players. If I’m being honest, 99% of my job was the constant quest to surprise the players because I thought their authentic reactions would be a joy to watch.

Every day felt like we were throwing a surprise party for our friends, but we had to keep it all secret, even though they started expecting some kind of twist. 

How will Season 2 differ from your first? What have you learned or changed?

Ed Gass-Donnelly: Season 2 is going to be very different visually, tonally, and even structurally. We will still embrace an unscripted TV format and have surprise guests, but Deb and I also don't want to repeat ourselves. The era has shifted from the pioneer village to the roaring ’20s, set in the world of a defunct movie studio empire. If Season 1 was inspired by The Witch, Season 2 is inspired by The Shining and Clue. We’re building a very detailed world from scratch with a lot of collaborators…even the Kickstarter we’re launching on August 11 will be a narrative mystery experience unto itself. More like an augmented reality game than a traditional crowdfunding campaign. We’re being rather…extra. And it's a joy to create. The secret promo we sent you is actually an entry point so we hope you dive in and enjoy the ride!

What should fans expect? What are you most excited for them to find?

Ed Gass-Donnelly: Fans should probably expect the unexpected. I think we’re doubling down on surprises, twists, and just flipping the table on what a TTRPG experience can be. We’re trying to raise more money for season 2 so that we can create more elaborate sets and custom props and, frankly, pay everyone a little better since season 1 was made almost entirely with sweat equity and generosity. I don’t want to reveal spoilers, but we’ve already locked down an incredible 1920’s mansion that has been lovingly restored and is full of secret passages, hidden puzzles, and endless inspiration. It’s bonkers.

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You can check out the preview trailer for Season 2 above. The show will feature past performers like Anjali Bhimani and Woll, as well as D&Dtuber Ginny Di. The show is expected to crowdfund starting August 11, with plans to begin production in Winter 2026.

What are your thoughts? Send any scoops, tips or press releases to [email protected].