Wonnarua Sisters Create First Nations D&D Adventure for Vivid

Wonnarua writer-directors Maddison and George Coles will launch Australia’s first Indigenous-led Dungeons & Dragons experience at Vivid 2026, transforming traditional gaming through Country-based storytelling inside UTS Data Arena’s 360-degree immersive environment.

Dungeons & Damper: Inside the D20 runs across one weekend only, 30-31 May, with free ticketed sessions that drop groups of 10 into a world where Creation Spirits teach lessons about environmental care. The experience uses the arena’s six 3D-stereo projectors and 16-channel audio system to create a 20,000 x 1200-pixel wraparound adventure.

For players booking sessions, this represents a complete reimagining of fantasy role-playing. Traditional European dragons and wizards give way to Connection to Country narratives developed through years of cultural consultation with knowledge holders across multiple Indigenous communities.

Wonnarua writer-director George Coles described the support from Vivid as transformational for First Nations storytelling. “It means the world to us for Vivid to be so passionate in supporting First Nations stories,” Coles said.

The sisters spent years consulting with community members including Bundjalung chef Mindy Woods, who maintains a native food forest, and filmmaker Pauline Clague, who helped them apply cultural perspectives to character development. Cultural protocol guided every creative decision.

“It’s been difficult trying to follow cultural protocol and making sure we’re adhering to that, first and foremost,” George Coles said. The development process required approval from Wonnarua knowledge holders and elders before any traditional stories could be adapted for gaming.

The UTS Data Arena creates an unprecedented gaming environment. The cylindrical screen stands four metres high and ten metres in diameter, surrounding players with visuals that respond to their choices as the all-First Nations team guides them through Country-based challenges.

“The idea came from talking about Indigenous food, and the connection that has to culture, to community, to Country,” co-creator Maddison Coles said. Both sisters discovered tabletop gaming potential only after leaving remote Country for university, where they met other creatives who shared their passion for fantasy storytelling.

Sessions book out quickly according to festival organisers, with advance booking essential for the limited weekend run. The experience marks the first time traditional First Nations narratives have been integrated into major festival gaming through cutting-edge immersive technology.