Sunderfolk GM Anjali Bhimani Explains How She Voices Multiple Characters

Anjali Bhimani is an actor, writer, TTRPG player, and recently announced GM for Sunderfolk, a unique title that makes board-game night more accessible for family and friends, Bhimani takes on the role of narrator as well as voicing all the NPCs. Reaching out for her thoughts on the experience, I was able to chat with her about Sunderfolk.

Reinventing Game Night with Sunderfolk

Sunderfolk is a TTRPG video game with a fully voiced cast of characters, different classes to pick from, and a focus on storytelling. Developed by Dreamhaven, the studio created by Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime, it's the first internally created title to be announced. The team includes numerous former Blizzard devs, including Chris Sigaty who was the StarCraft II executive producer and is heading up the Sunderfolk project.

The dev team isn't the only all star working on the project. Bhimani is a veteran actor with both on screen and voice-over credits. She's deeply committed to the tabletop community. She's played Dungeons & Dragons since she was a child with her brother, as well as board games with her family.  A regular guest on Critical Role, she's also a member of DesiQuest, has appeared on Dimension20, and runs her own charity campaign, Puppy Roll. 

"There's a connection you can have with people through game playing that doesn't necessarily come in other places."

Sunderfolk is not a traditional tabletop game, however. Before diving into the specifics of her role as GM, Bhimani gave me more details on the game itself and how it differs from what's currently on the market.

"The barrier to entry to a lot of TTRPGs is the amount of stuff you have to learn. Trying to bring more friends into that world is sometimes challenging," Bhimani lamented.

Depending on the system, prospective players can spend hours reading lore, learning what different dice rolls mean, creating a character, and actually setting up the space to play. The barrier to entry for many TTRPGs is so high that people don't even bother to learn about another game system, try to find faster ways to play, or continue to show any interest at all in the community. 

"My feeling, much like what they've done with Sunderfolk, is that as long as you know how to have fun and tell a good story, that should be it. That's all it is, as long as you're there to have a good time and share in this experience with your fellow players."

When it comes to bringing more people to the world of tabletop, Sunderfolk is on the right track.

"I was really, really taken by both the quality of the work they had already put together, even before we started, the deck, and the art. And the deep love that they clearly had, not just for the tabletop community, but for the essence of how gaming brings people together." 

This focus on bringing people together for game night to tell a good story is what prompted Bhimani to join Sunderfolk as the GM, voicing the narrator for the game as well as all the various NPCs.

"The work I do as an actor has played into that. Also knowing that, much like you'd want to do in a voice over situation, if I was in an animated series and I was doing all the different voices and it was only audio like a podcast, you would need to hear the difference to know who was talking," Bhimani stated. 

Diving in more on Sunderfolk itself, there are a number of NPCs that are ready to steal the show. From a button mushroom to Sinclair the mole and Amaia the penguin, there are plenty of characters to interact with in the narrative-heavy game.

The great part is there's no prep, and if your party can't get through a quest or need more time, you can pick the game up right where you left off. It's also child friendly, making it an easy addition to a family game night. 

Sunderfolk takes a story and puts it on a shared screen. All the tools needed are at your fingertips on your phone or mobile device. "There's nothing like it, so I don't specifically know what to compare it to," she explained. Once you get your friends and family together, just turn on the game to start adventuring. 

Bhimani then expanded on the feel of Sunderfolk. "There are sections that will feel a little bit like a storybook that are similar to cutscenes that we see in certain video games. Then there are also sections that are just full-on gameplay grid situations where you will be in battle or encounter of some kind."

The Dreamhaven team have created an access point for many new to TTRPGs that want to learn more about that genre, experience a different kind of game night, or are too busy to put together a campaign. Sunderfolk is looking to become a bridge between video game enthusiasts and TTRPG players. With an experienced GM helming the storytelling, it could shake up the industry.

Before wrapping up the interview, I briefly touched on Bhimani's other work, especially her charity efforts with live-play campaigns like Puppy Roll. Puppy Roll is a finalist in the Sustainability, Environment, and Climate category of the Anthem Awards for 2024 due to it raising money for animals. Noting that playing TTRPGs is fun, she also wants to have an additional benefit aside from entertainment.

"When we get a chance to create something that is super fun to watch and to play and to create and we get to make a difference in the world, it's really lovely that that effort has been noticed," Bhimani said.