“Lay back” in D&D: Samantha Béart finds power

Samantha Béart, known to D&D fans as Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3, joins Darkest Whimsy and talks about building a character with finite rules, why failure helps actors play better, and what it means to step into the James Bond universe as Alexandra Ronson in 00

For Samantha Béart, “laid back” isn’t the opposite of intensity. It’s the method.

This week. the Tabletop improv theater and actual play world gets another recognizable voice at the table: Béart makes a guest appearance on Darkest Whimsy. a relatively new show from GM Dan Defler—aka Nerd Poker—that runs on comedians Chelsea Pope. Laura Laham. Kyle Ayers. and Selena Price as its regular players.

Béart is a familiar name to D&D fans. thanks to playing Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3—someone many fans call “best girl.” But her credits stretch far beyond the tabletop. She’s portrayed Darth Nul in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Random Dent in BBC Radio 4’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. and Cider in Absolum. Most recently, she played Alexandra Ronson, a 00 Agent in 007: First Light.

In the conversation around her Darkest Whimsy appearance. Béart returns to one idea again and again: rules don’t cage performance—they refine it. “I’ve been playing D&D since 2019,” she says. Early on, the mechanics felt overwhelming. Then she shifted her approach to “character-first,” and the self-imposed pressure of choice eased. On Darkest Whimsy. the show’s tease about the Needle Sisters helped shape what she wanted to bring to the table. The promise of someone “laid back. but extremely powerful” was “very appealing.” From there. she picked a class that suited the character and built outward.

That way of thinking—pressure down. listening up—shows up when she talks about how she prepares for a game that’s “improv-heavy.” She points to something counterintuitive: restrictions that come with rules-led TTRPGs can help more than settings where “choices were infinite.” Last year. she appeared as a guest in an Off-Broadway show called The Twenty Sided Tavern. Audience participation, a dedicated class chosen through audience voting, and the randomness of dice were her early foundation. “Being part of an ensemble dedicated to serving the story and each other was what made it an experience I’ll never forget. ” she says. It’s an ethos she still carries into traditional sit-down D&D games.

When asked about her Darkest Whimsy character. she stops short of spoiling details. but credits the collaboration that got the idea to the table. She points to the DM, Dan Telfer, who worked with her to create the episode character. She usually plays either an established character or something brand new entirely. “with a license to come up with something entirely new.” This time. she describes it as “a bit of both”—the character’s appearance has been hinted at in past episodes. while her day-job-free imagination did the rest. She wanted something unexpected. and just as importantly. a role that fits into the team: “I wanted to do something unexpected. but more importantly. to be a part of the team. I hope she’s surprising and entertaining.”.

There’s also a social ease at the center of the table itself. Béart says she knows Selena Price and that she’d met Dan Defler before being asked to join. It felt, she says, “like being asked to join someone’s home game.” She adds that the rapport among the cast “came across at the table.”

The skills transfer in a more intimate way than she expected. Béart is a classically trained theatre actor and has worked across all media. and she says the method of delivery is what changes—not the core act. In her view, D&D sharpens listening more than any other storytelling form she’s done. She’s drawn. too. to the emotional logic of play: the “possibility of failure” and then “justifying that failure. ” turning it into something useful.

That theme of transformation runs alongside her return to major franchises. She’s not just stepping into tabletop as a guest—she’s already working inside the James Bond universe. voicing Alexandra Ronson. a double-0 agent in 007: First Light. She calls it “a wonderful addition to the list. ” placing it among other worlds she’s been in: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Star Wars: The Old Republic. Alien. Doctor Who and Torchwood for Big Finish. She also admits she never thought of herself as a “Bond Girl. ” but being a 00 agent. she says. is “much more up my street.”.

The same forward momentum carries into what’s next. Fading Echo—coming out soon—started as a TTRPG, and Béart says that reality shaped the casting. The project includes Laura Bailey and Sam Riegel. and she hopes that if the video game is a success. she and others will get to play the original version together. Béart describes New Tales making “a straight-up offer” for the lead role as One. She says the team told her half the OG Critical Role cast would be involved in supporting roles. and that Jasmine Bhullar was writing and performing. She says: “how could I say no?”.

If you’re tracking her across platforms, the schedule is clear. You can catch Samantha Beart on the latest episode of Darkest Whimsy, out now on YouTube and on your favorite podcast platform. After that, she appears as One in Fading Echo, out July 21st, and as Claire in Limerence, out July 25th.

The sequence feels almost built for her: start with finite choices. then learn to live inside them; fail in the open. justify it in performance; and let the rules—whether dice or scripted franchises—be the structure that makes something surprising come out. In her world, the “laid back” posture doesn’t mean less power. It means better timing.

Samantha Béart Darkest Whimsy D&D Baldur’s Gate 3 Karlach tabletop improv actual play 007: First Light Alexandra Ronson Fading Echo One Limerence Claire Liam O’Brien Matt Mercer Jasmine Bhullar New Tales