The DesiQuest Winter Special beckons you to gather ’round Wednesday, February 19 at 9PM ET/6PM PT on the EffinFunny YouTube channel! Bundle up for a magical winter’s tale where mysteries unfold in frost-touched forests, stories are shared by firelight, and not everything is quite what it seems…
Bring your favorite blanket and a mug of something warm – this is one winter night you won’t want to miss!
A note on the timing: We briefly postponed the release due to the recent Los Angeles wildfire that directly affected members of our team. The safety and wellbeing of our cast and crew comes first, and we appreciate your understanding and patience.
The Full First Season is Out Now!
Join the Patreon
To get further into the world of DesiQuest, Join the Patreon where you’ll have exclusive access to The Tea Kettle, an aftershow podcast that goes behind the DM Screen with the cast & crew to answer all your questions on the lore, characters and secrets.
About DesiQuest
Desi (/ˈdāsē/) noun: a word used to describe the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and their diaspora, derived from Sanskrit देश (deśá), meaning “land, country”.
DesiQuest (/ˈdāsē kwest/) noun: an epic, culturally authentic Dungeons & Dragons actual-play show with an all Desi cast, game mastered by Jasmine Bhullar, that’ll Fire Bolt your brain and Thunderclap your heart.
It’s incredibly rare in Los Angeles to create a show with an all Desi cast. We’re usually competing with each other for the one guest spot on shows with a similar format. So, whether you are Desi yourself or not, whether you’re an experienced player or new to D&D, if you want to see more highly skilled and highly engaging BROWN faces on screen weaving epic tales, set in a world inspired by mythology and lore from the Indian sub-continent, than DesiQuest is the show for you.
The Cast
Jasmine Bhullar as Game Master
Our fearless Game Master and the creator of the DesiQuest world of Vehaar, Jasmine will be guiding the player characters through our perilous adventure. She will also be playing both the narrator and many of the non-player characters along the way, be they friend, frenemy or foe.
Before DesiQuest, Jasmine was the mind behind DnDBeyond’s Battle 4 Beyond and Dimension 20’s Coffin Run. She has also helped bring to life monsters, maidens, and rogues like Reva for Critical Role, Betty for World of Darkness’s Seattle By Night, and Certainty Dran on Acquisitions Incorporated. She is also a worldbuilder on Critical Role’s Marquet setting and Into the Motherlands.
Born in the US, this Punjabi Sikh firecracker moved to India at 9 for school. Due to the partition, the Punjabi identity is a unique one, making Bronze equal parts Pakistani, Indian and a little Afghani. She still goes to Gurudwara before going to set for good luck.
Our fearless Game Master and the creator of the DesiQuest world of Vehaar, Jasmine will be guiding the player characters through our perilous adventure. She will also be playing both the narrator and many of the non-player characters along the way, be they friend, frenemy or foe.
Before DesiQuest, Jasmine was the mind behind DnDBeyond’s Battle 4 Beyond and Dimension 20’s Coffin Run. She has also helped bring to life monsters, maidens, and rogues like Reva for Critical Role, Betty for World of Darkness’s Seattle By Night, and Certainty Dran on Acquisitions Incorporated. She is also a worldbuilder on Critical Role’s Marquet setting and Into the Motherlands.
This Gujarati girl is an original Cleveland Indian, having been born there. While her other non-English languages are Spanish and French, she knew just enough Gujarati as a kid to know when her parents were talking about her.
Anjali Bhimani can be seen as the vibrant “IlluminAuntie” Auntie Ruby in Ms. Marvel on Disney+, and is known in the video game world as the voice of Rampart in Apex Legends and Symmetra in Overwatch, among others. She has also appeared in other live gameplay series such as Candela Obscura and Exandria Unlimited by Critical Role Studios, and is the bestselling author of I Am Fun Size and So Are YOU!
In DesiQuest, Anjali plays Sitara, a Vollywood fillum star who can shift her appearance instantly and communicate telepathically. From the outside, it appears she has an absolutely glamorous life, married to Rocky a hugely successful producer, and enjoys all the fruits of celebrity life effortlessly. But, she knows better than anyone, not all is as it appears…
Anjali Bhimani as Sitara (Druid)
Anjali Bhimani can be seen as the vibrant “IlluminAuntie” Auntie Ruby in Ms. Marvel on Disney+, and is known in the video game world as the voice of Rampart in Apex Legends and Symmetra in Overwatch, among others. She has also appeared in other live gameplay series such as Candela Obscura and Exandria Unlimited by Critical Role Studios, and is the bestselling author of I Am Fun Size and So Are YOU!
In DesiQuest, Anjali plays Sitara, a Vollywood fillum star who can shift her appearance instantly and communicate telepathically. From the outside, it appears she has an absolutely glamorous life, married to Rocky a hugely successful producer, and enjoys all the fruits of celebrity life effortlessly. But, she knows better than anyone, not all is as it appears…
Omar Najam as Murkha (Artificer)
Omar Najam is a writer, director, improviser, ttrpg player and overall huge nerd. He has played a pirate cat in The Borros Saga: Banesbreak, a literal ghost writer in Power Play, an unseelie prince in Dimension 20’s A Court of Fey and Flowers and a grumpy bird man on the Critical Role: Tears of the Kingdom Zelda one shot.
On DesiQuest, he has the absolute honor of playing Murkha Anajan, an absolutely brilliant but slightly befuddled inventor. Armed with all his Artificer eccentricities, he travels the land along with his robotic red panda son Buccha, learning about different cultures, technologies and new ways to get in trouble. Despite his worldliness, he’s never really connected with other people, more than transactionally, but all of that is about to change…
Raised by his Indian Hindu mom and Pakistani Muslim dad, he spent most of his childhood making up little plays in the backyard. But he saw little to no South Asian representation in things he watched, he, right then and there he vowed to, I dunno, at least think critically about that!
Omar Najam is a writer, director, improviser, ttrpg player and overall huge nerd. He has played a pirate cat in The Borros Saga: Banesbreak, a literal ghost writer in Power Play, an unseelie prince in Dimension 20’s A Court of Fey and Flowers and a grumpy bird man on the Critical Role: Tears of the Kingdom Zelda one shot.
On DesiQuest, he has the absolute honor of playing Murkha Anajan, an absolutely brilliant but slightly befuddled inventor. Armed with all his Artificer eccentricities, he travels the land along with his robotic red panda son Buccha, learning about different cultures, technologies and new ways to get in trouble. Despite his worldliness, he’s never really connected with other people, more than transactionally, but all of that is about to change…
This Gujurati boy was born and raised in New Hampshire. He’s barely conversant in his native tongue but does know the 40 stanzas of the Hanuman Chalisa by heart because his parents made him memorize it when he was 4.
You may have seen Sandeep’s face or heard his voice on The Guild, Community, Californication & Glitch Techs, or enjoyed his directing work in The Legend of Neil or the interactive series That Moment When. He also runs EffinFunny, the production company focused on amplifying Desi voices in Hollywood, and is the shingle behind DesiQuest.
In DesiQuest, Sandeep plays Ashwathama “Ash” Aswinikumar who, like his parents, is a Cleric because a job in medicine is the only good job. His family lives abroad, but his roots hail from Vehaar, and he even has a Varanas tail named Poonch to prove it. But, Ash hasn’t been back to the motherland since he was a baby, until now… when a mysterious vision lures him back.
Sandeep Parikh as Ash (Cleric)
You may have seen Sandeep’s face or heard his voice on The Guild, Community, Californication & Glitch Techs, or enjoyed his directing work in The Legend of Neil or the interactive series That Moment When. He also runs EffinFunny, the production company focused on amplifying Desi voices in Hollywood, and is the shingle behind DesiQuest.
In DesiQuest, Sandeep plays Ashwathama “Ash” Aswinikumar who, like his parents, is a Cleric because a job in medicine is the only good job. His family lives abroad, but his roots hail from Vehaar, and he even has a Varanas tail named Poonch to prove it. But, Ash hasn’t been back to the motherland since he was a baby, until now… when a mysterious vision lures him back.
Rekha Shankar as Laddoo Auntie (Barbarian)
Rekha Shankar has written for Grand Crew (NBC) and Digman (Comedy Central), and performs at UCB Franklin and in various movies and TV and videos (Between Two Ferns: The Movie, Hacks, CollegeHumor, Aunty Donna’s House of Fun).
Rekha plays Laddoo Auntie, a great home cook and a strict auntie. She loves her niece, Sitara, more than anything, and takes anyone even one day younger than her under her wing — whether they want that or not. She finds herself on this adventure searching for a purpose outside her norm: can she transcend being an Auntie?
This American-Born Curious Desi always tries to learn more about her Hindu Tamilian roots, if only she could surmount the obstacle of “contradicting information from her family.” She’s got an appetite for all types of Indian food (though traitorously prefers naan to dosa).
Rekha Shankar has written for Grand Crew (NBC) and Digman (Comedy Central), and performs at UCB Franklin and in various movies and TV and videos (Between Two Ferns: The Movie, Hacks, CollegeHumor, Aunty Donna’s House of Fun).
Rekha plays Laddoo Auntie, a great home cook and a strict auntie. She loves her niece, Sitara, more than anything, and takes anyone even one day younger than her under her wing — whether they want that or not. She finds herself on this adventure searching for a purpose outside her norm: can she transcend being an Auntie?
Together, these talented actors and creators will bring the world of DesiQuest to life.
Join us on this perilous adventure, and discover what it means to be Desi in a fantasy world.
Anand Shah, Kosha Patel, Anjali & Sandeep on the set of Wizard School Droput. Our goal to make a show so that my (Sandeep’s) nieces could feel like they could be wizards, too.
The professional crew at Effinfunny is led by CCO Sandeep, Head of Production Jeff Winkler who produced The Legend of Neil, 2 seasons of The Guild, and Anand Shah who is the Head of Development and previously worked at 20th Century Fox, and Paramount.
For DesiQuest we were joined by the inventive & prolific Dimension 20 director Michael Schaubach, the unbelievably resourceful D20, LA By Night, NY By Night producer Ash Minnick, the artistic director & production designer extraordinaire who’s worked on (maybe you’ve heard of them) Star Wars, Star Trek, Terminator and more– Fon Davis, & the wildly imaginative Nox Berf of Geek & Sundry Relics & Rarities Fame.
Production Team at EffinFunny
The professional crew at Effinfunny is led by CCO Sandeep, Head of Production Jeff Winkler who produced The Legend of Neil, 2 seasons of The Guild, and Anand Shah who is the Head of Development and previously worked at 20th Century Fox, and Paramount.
For DesiQuest we were joined by the inventive & prolific Dimension 20 director Michael Schaubach, the unbelievably resourceful D20, LA By Night, NY By Night producer Ash Minnick, the artistic director & production designer extraordinaire who’s worked on (maybe you’ve heard of them) Star Wars, Star Trek, Terminator and more– Fon Davis, & the wildly imaginative Nox Berf of Geek & Sundry Relics & Rarities Fame.
The World
Welcome to Vehaar: a one-of-a-kind homebrewed world with Desi culture infused in its DNA with influences drawn from the subcontinent’s rich and storied history. Everything from the Bronze Age Indus Valley civilization to the ancient epics of the Mahabharata inspired the distinct mythos of this universe. While formulating the campaign, Jasmine created a precise cocktail of roleplay, problem solving, mythology exploration, and combat for players to engage in.
Indian history, especially historical warfare, has been largely ignored by modern pop culture. Current Dungeons and Dragons content is primarily centered in European medieval mythos with Tolkien-esque battles. The idea behind DesiQuest’s creation is to expose our viewers to an Eastern medieval history. To this end, the show draws upon inspirations like the Delhi Sultanate, King Asoka and Alexander the Great’s defeat in India to bring an entirely fresh perspective to the combat side of D&D as well as featuring Desi armor styles, medieval combat and martial customs.
Press
- Wired: Desis & Dragons Puts South Asians Front and Center in TTRPGs
- Desi Geek Girls: Interview with Sandeep Parikh & Jasmine Bhullar, DesiQuest
- CBR.com: DesiQuest: Jasmine Bhullar Details the South Asian Actual Play’s Origins & Inspirations
- Bell of Lost Souls: D&D: Sandeep Parikh And Jasmine Bhullar Talk DesiQuest
- Polygon: The best new actual play series coming in 2023
How to Support
Join the Patreon
To get further into the world of DesiQuest, Join the Patreon where you’ll have exclusive access to The Tea Kettle, an aftershow podcast that goes behind the DM Screen with the cast & crew to answer all your questions on the lore, characters and secrets. As this grows, we hope to serve you one shots with way cool guests, off-shoots of games with the cast, and even a Patreon exclusive campaign! Get in while there’s still room in the limited 108 tier!
Gear Up For Adventure
Show your support by hitting up the DesiQuest store and purchasing one or more of our fine wares exclusive to early-supporters of the show. These items are available for a limited time while supplies last!
Join the Community
There are over 1300 fans of DesiQuest and TTRPGs in general hanging out in the EffinFunny Discord run by Sandeep. Come join us in the official DesiQuest channel, as we celebrate this breakthrough show together.
Sign up for the Newsletter
The best way to keep abreast of all the DesiQuest news is by signing up for the official newsletter. You’ll also be sending out hot hot discount codes for merch, and exclusive behind the scenes content. Sign up now!
Play with the Pros
Buy a seat and play in a live (virtual, private, non-streamed) Celebrity DM’ed D&D One-shot (using D&D 5e). Support DesiQuest in a major way and snap this up for a rare experience to play with some of the most joyful and knowledgeable DMs out there!
Newbies welcome! Even if you’ve never build a character or played before we can make a character for you, or help you make your own. You’ll get to play with top-level D&D talent and have an exclusive experience with maximum immersion. With a limited number of spaces available, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to level up your D&D game.
NOTE: Once the table is full we find a time that works for all players, usually a weekday evening (PT) or a Saturday.
Live Play with GM Jasmine Bhullar
Live Play with GM Omar Najam
“In the span of 30 minutes, Omar led the group of us to create a tangible and amazing world that promised a whole bunch of fun and not just for a One-Shot. He engaged the group to help him build out our characters in the world. His lore and storytelling make me want more.”
-Mark (DesiQuest Kickstarter Backer)
Partners
Please visit our sponsors without whom we could not have made this show quite as awesome!
If you’d like to become a partner or any other business inquiries, please contact us here.
