WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!’s penultimate episodes leave nobody safe

Whenever I think of tabletop role-playing games, I often picture a book of rules thick enough to use as a blunt weapon. The game of Dread defies this expectation. It runs on only four simple mechanics and one Jenga tower. Whenever players face danger in the narrative, they pull from the tower. They may be asked for several pulls in a given amount of time. Fail the pull and suffer an in-game consequence. Choose not to pull, and you automatically fail. Knock the tower over, and your character dies on the spot. There is one final rule: the self-sacrifice. A player can intentionally cause the tower to fall, killing their character, to save the rest of the party. And that’s the entire game.

Now take that system, put it on stage at the Dynasty Typewriter in L.A, seat two-hundred people in the room and thousands on livestream, and you get WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!. This is a series of live one-shot Dread games set in the world of Maw Meadows, a little peninsula town off the coast of Maine, where monsters and cults thrive. Each episode stands alone, but they contain subtle threads tying the entire anthology together.

The tower held the answer, and you’re going to have to find out for yourself whether they both made it out alive

On 29 October at 2:30am GMT, the episode “All Spirals Bind” aired live, digging into the inner workings of the cult referenced across previous shows, and fitting perfectly with its late-October, Halloween-esque tone. In a pre-show Q&A, the cast gave their expectations.

Angela Giarratana: “I think my favourite versions of these are when we all are really hangin’ on, like at the last second when you’re all together. But I also do love an epic death early on, so we’ll see.”

Ranboo: “I’m really worried on how much my hands will shake and I’m worried that I might just die because of that.”

Arasha Lalani: “I think what would be awesome is if all of us stayed alive for a really long time. I think that would be great to build up that pressure.”

Noah Grossman: “I think I’m dying first. I don’t got the hands for Jenga.”

And not long after, our four cloaked cult members were introduced live on stage.

Angela Giarratana as Maeve Galloway – one of a pair of twins, speaking in eerie unison, and fully committed to becoming the best cultist possible.

Arasha Lalani as Magenta Galloway – the other twin, identical in devotion and creep factor.

Noah Grossman as Marcus Doe – a new recruit who received an invitation letter, dropped out of college, moved to Maw Meadows, and now works for the cult as a barnacle farmer.

Ranboo as Ted Table – a 55-year-old lifelong cultist who was promised immortality and is known for taking meticulous notes during cult meetings.

One of the highlights of this particular cast was the dynamic between the twins, Maeve and Magenta. Their attempts to improvise lines simultaneously were hilarious, but also, in the backs of everyone’s minds, was the thought of one of the twins dying and the other surviving. The tower held the answer, and you’re going to have to find out for yourself whether they both made it out alive.

While the classic Dread rules remained unchanged, the stakes felt heavier in this episode

Another highlight of the show were the two NPCs, who definitely elevated the tension.

Marty Abbe-Schneider as Archpriest Alistair Duff – a villainous cult leader, who forced players into difficult choices, including whether to betray one another.

Jon Matteson as the Wraith of Maw – concealed during his usual intro, he instead appeared onstage fully transformed into a skeletal wraith, complete with cloak and convincing makeup. Unrecognisable, he haunted the players from the shadows and struck whenever someone failed a pull.

The lighting, sound, and overall production leaned into the Halloween theme, raising the tension every time a player stepped up to pull from the tower. It was a fantastic themed addition to the anthology.

Up next was “Eyes Open the Path”, which aired live on 22 November at 3:30am GMT. We moved away from the cults and monsters and were instead dropped into a romantic couples’ retreat in Maw Meadows. The couples themselves were introduced by Games Master, George Primavera.

Damien Haas as Sebastian Kneel – a deeply religious man, half of the band ‘Burn in Heaven,’ here with his wife.

Natasha Mercado as Jessica Kneel – equally religious and quietly hoping to create a solo album outside ‘Burn in Heaven.’

Olivia Sui as Leannatha Dunn – intense, earth-mother energy, convinced she and her husband have the “best marriage on the planet,” and aiming for billionaire status.

Tommy Bowe as Reynold Dunn – a man who feels energies, adores his wife, and has a large social media following. Together, they co-authored ‘Marriage Dunn the Right Way.”

The best moments have been the sharp one-liners, unexpected pulls, and catastrophic failures, all of which are entirely unscripted

Jon Matteson also reappeared as an NPC hiking guide, leading a sunset walk while testing each couple with probing questions. He awarded points based on their answers, instantly turning the retreat into a competition.

While the classic Dread rules remained unchanged, the stakes felt heavier in this episode. Every pull affected not just the player, but also their partner. The silent question seemed to drift through the audience: who will sacrifice themselves for whom? And I can tell you, there was a sacrifice, and it landed hard.

After both episodes had aired, YouTube channel Smosh Alike interviewed Games Master (GM) George Primavera about organising the entire event and teasing the final episode. George, who has played TTRPGs for over a decade, explained the appeal of the game: “Dread is a much simpler TTRPG. D&D has a lot of rules to know, Dread has about three or four.”

When asked about how much of the show is scripted, George gave a simple answer: “Unscripted.” He clarified that while the setting of Maw Meadows is pre-built by himself and players create their characters ahead of time, everything that happens on stage is improvised. He summed up why this format works so well: “The thing that makes you a D&D or TTRPG fan for life is when you experience your first accidental genuine moment.”

If you’ve been watching, hopefully you didn’t miss it. If you haven’t, now’s the time to binge

That philosophy is the backbone of WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!. The best moments have been the sharp one-liners, unexpected pulls, and catastrophic failures, all of which are entirely unscripted. Not even the GM knows who will survive.

And it all concluded on Saturday 13 December at 6:30am GMT, when the final episode was aired live. With the first episode dating back to July, and each standalone show containing hints and deeper connections, this conclusion tied the anthology together. If you’ve been watching, hopefully you didn’t miss it. If you haven’t, now’s the time to binge. Because in this game of Dread, anyone can die… and perhaps everyone has.