CLEVELAND — Tomorrow three players from the Cleveland Browns will take part in a live-streamed tabletop game of Dungeons and Dragons to benefit Red Nose Day, a charity that seeks to end child poverty.
Whether you're into role-playing games, the Browns or both, Thursday's event will certainly be exciting.
The players, Johnny Stanton IV, Myles Garrett and Wyatt Teller aren't new to the game either. The trio aren't just teammates on the field, they are party members on paper who have been adventuring together and playing D&D since 2020.
They will be joined by actor, writer and comedian Ify Nwadidwe, tabletop streamer and podcaster Aabria Iyengar and Brandon Tharp, whose D&D-themed TikTok has hundreds of thousands of followers.
"This event is really exciting not only because a lot of local businesses and the team itself are getting involved, but I get to do something I'm really passionate about," Stanton said. "I get to do it with some really cool people — my teammates and Ify and Aabria, who are coming in from out of state — and get to raise funds for a really important organization in Red Nose Day. Fighting childhood poverty is a very, very important cause, and I'm really happy to be able to help get their word out."
The game will be held at Tabletop Board Game Cafe, 1810 West 25th Street, Cleveland, from 8 to 10 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the 100 in-person attendees. Tickets to the event are sold out, but if you want to see the Browns in some hack and slash action, you can watch it live on The Cantrip Podcast on Twitch or online.
Viewers will be able to take part in a silent auction to win loot from the Browns and other donors. There's something for everyone, such as signed Browns memorabilia and swag, D&D replica weapons and painted miniatures. To see what items are on the loot table that you can bid on, click here. Proceeds benefit Red Nose Day.
If you're not familiar with Red Nose Day, it's a campaign that has raised more than $275 million since it was first launched back in 2015. It has helped more than 30 million kids.
"It's a really small amount of people who have been able to raise money doing something like Dungeons & Dragons," Stanton said. "To be able to consider myself a part of that group now is very cool, and being able to play with Myles and Wyatt has been really special to me. It's been nice to grow chemistry with them through that and have it as an extra thing to talk about and grow together with them."
Stanton approached his party members with the charity event quest and soon things were set in motion.
"When I brought this up to them — to possibly raise money through D&D — they jumped at the opportunity. Ever since then, it's been a whirlwind getting this planned. I'm excited for Thursday, and I think it's going to go well."
And while Stanton and his party are used to playing football in front of thousands of fans, rolling the dice in front of a live audience isn't without its own challenges.
"I've had a couple online games that I've played on a Twitch audience, but it's only been on my own computer," Stanton said. "Playing in front of a live audience is going to be very different. It's going to be very nerve-wracking, but I know we'll get to feed off the excitement of the audience."
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