Category Archives: roleplaying games

Farewell, Tim. Farewell, Steve.

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Sadly, the start of 2026 has been a rough one for the games industry, as we lost two influential voices in the span of a few days.

Please join me as I take a few moments to honor the lives and contributions of Tim Kask and Steve Dee.

On December 30th, we said goodbye to Tim Kask.

When you think of the early days of Dungeons & Dragons, there are names like Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson that many roleplaying fans probably know. But Tim Kask’s name belongs in the same conversation as those renowned voices.

Tim was hired as an editor for Tactical Studies Rules (aka TSR, the founding company of D&D) by Gygax himself, making him the first full-time employee of the company. He was already a fan of Gygax’s game Chainmail and was one of the playtesters of “The Fantasy Game” (the game that would eventually become Dungeons & Dragons).

And his fingerprints are all over the world’s most famous roleplaying game.

He edited and contributed to Blackmoor, one of the earliest supplemental books for D&D, adding rules, playable classes, and the first published adventure, The Temple of the Frog. Additional supplements like Swords & Spells, Eldritch Wizardry, and Gods, Demigods, and Heroes were also shepherded by Kask’s capable hands.

The first thirty or so issues of Dragon Magazine — formerly The Strategic Review, and then The Dragon, before settling on the name known by most fans — were part of Kask’s ongoing projects for the company as well. It remained one of the premiere D&D-focused magazines for years, and copies of Dragon Magazine are still treasured in RPG collections to this day.

Tim hired influential voices like Kim Mohan, and granted a license to Jennell Jaquays to publish her own D&D fanzine The Dungeoneer, adding new adventures for players to enjoy. (Jacquays would soon revolutionize the concept of the dungeon crawl with her multi-path dynamic dungeons, replacing the linear corridors and encounters that had defined the concept until that point.)

He was one of the first people to call the hobby “role-playing.” Magic Missile automatically hits its target because of Kask. And the Sword of Kas, one of the most legendary weapons in all of D&D, is named after him.

Kask resigned from the company in 1980, displeased with the direction of the game, but he continued to contribute to the games industry by starting magazines, making appearances at Gen Con, writing for The Crusader and Gygax Magazine, and founding game company Eldritch Enterprises. His YouTube channel, Curmudgeon in the Cellar, is a favorite of many gamers and roleplayers.

Fans remember him as straightforward, grumpy, and very very funny, happy to share his knowledge and opinions on the game he helped bring to prominence.

Thank you for everything, Tim.

Only a few days later, on January 2nd, we lost Steve Dee as well.

Steve Darlington, better known to board game enthusiasts as Steve Dee, was president of Tin Star Games, an Australian gaming company dedicated to story-driven play and creative expression. Their motto was simple:

We make games. They tell stories.

His games are endlessly repeatable player-driven fun. You’ve probably heard of his most famous creation, There’s Been a Murder (which was on our Halloween game countdown).

But I want to highlight some of his other games that haven’t received as much of the spotlight. There’s Partners, a two-player game that lets you explore the classic TV crime-solving dynamic of the straight-shooter and their wildcard partner.

There’s also The Score, a simple 18-card game that lets you tell the story of the greatest heist movie ever (at least the greatest heist movie not involving bears).

But he was far more than a mere game designer.

Steve was a huge believer in jams: events where you create something in a limited time, marrying creativity with challenge. He participated in 48-hour jams to create 3-minute short films. He hosted jams and panels at cons, teaching people how to make board games in 2 or 3 hours.

He even hosted a challenge where fans yelled roleplaying game ideas at him and he would turn them into a playable game in just one hour!

Steve’s YouTube channel is a treasure trove of hard-won experience and boundless support for gamers and game designers, shining a light on many of the difficulties of running a small game company in the modern day. His videos are loaded with personality, and his unwavering sincerity shines through in every one.

Described by friends and admirers as humble and helpful, generous and inspiring, Steve was happy to help others with advice, guidance, and encouragement. The number of anecdotes across Facebook and gaming sites was truly overwhelming, mentioning kind words, workshops, impromptu lunch-time feedback sessions, and more.

And it’s so very fitting that his last Patreon post was titled something that fit Steve’s mantra and spirit so perfectly: Just do something.

Please let me conclude this tribute with Steve’s own inspiring words…

In times of crisis, heroism often fails; great efforts come to nothing and the casual or cruel can grant salvation. However, the smallest things can still be incredibly powerful and resonate to eternity. You matter, and if you show up, you can change your fate, or someone else’s. And that is everything.

Thank you for everything, Steve.

Film and TV Moments That FEEL Like D&D!

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Stranger Things has come to its epic conclusion (planned follow-up shows aside), and it has absolutely made an impact on pop culture.

Part of the show’s lasting legacy is introducing people to roleplaying games, specifically Dungeons & Dragons. Yes, shows like Freaks and Geeks and Community got there first, not to mention the sitcom juggernaut The Big Bang Theory, but I don’t know that any of them made the experience as accessible to new viewers as Stranger Things did.

Heck, there’s been two different Stranger Things/D&D starter packs to bring those new players into the fold!

And it got me thinking about D&D moments in movies and television shows.

Not moments that mention D&D or its lore or show gameplay or anything like that. I mean moments that FEEL like someone playing D&D.

There are certain moments in pop culture that feel like a D&D solution to a problem, as if this exact scenario appeared in a D&D game and this was the solution devised by the players.

It’s hard to define exactly what makes a scene in TV or cinema FEEL like a D&D moment. Sure, you can pick any buckwild action movie like Crank or Shoot ‘Em Up or Hardcore Henry or Mad Max: Fury Road, but for all the big setpieces and chaotic energy in those films, they don’t necessarily FEEL like a D&D game.

But these scenes definitely do.

It’s only natural to start with a scene from Stranger Things. In season 4, the heroes infiltrate the Upside Down to stop Vecna and try to rescue Max, but they need a distraction.

So, naturally, Eddie performs a wicked guitar solo and blasts metal music to distract the bat creatures and help Steve, Robin, and Nancy get closer.

This feels like such a D&D move for a bard to do, performing a badass yet ridiculously out-of-place musical number in order to help the party.

In the dead zone between the films Pitch Black and 2013’s Riddick, there was the film Chronicles of Riddick, detailing Vin Diesel’s antihero adventures after the events of Pitch Black.

In the film, we’re told this prison planet is so scorchingly hot that it’s uninhabitable, and you’re surely die within moments.

So naturally Vin Diesel’s character dumps a bottle of water over his back and swings into a canyon through the direct sunlight, and the water saves him. It feels like such a D&D player solution to the problem.

Viewer warning: language.

A ridiculous big-swing attack is also a D&D hallmark, so there’s a scene from The Boondock Saints that comes to mind.

In this film, two brothers become vigilantes and begin hunting down criminals. When several mobsters show up after the brothers got the better of them in a bar fight, Connor is handcuffed to a toilet while the thugs drag off Murphy.

So, as you might expect, Connor rips the toilet out of the floor, then carries it to the rooftop, dropping the toilet and then leaping, still handcuffed, onto the thugs, saving his brother.

There has never ever been a game of D&D without at least one player throwing themselves off a high thing and leaping onto the bad guys, gravity be damned. It’s a classic trope.

I reached out to several of my fellow roleplayers for suggestions of other scenes that feel like D&D, and they had two excellent recommendations.

The first is this hilarious sequence from Three Amigos!, where our heroes (?) meet the Singing Bush and encounter the Invisible Swordsman.

It goes so perfectly wrong, and every player has seen a quest go pear-shaped in similar fashion.

There are a lot of scenes from Galaxy Quest that could fit the bill, given that you have a bunch of actors pretending they’re characters from a Star Trek-like sci-fi show.

My friend Troy recommended the scene where Commander Taggart and Dr. Lazarus pretend they’re fighting (like their characters did in an episode) in order to distract the guards and ambush them. They do an awful job, but the ruse still succeeds.

But I think my favorite is the rock monster scene shown above. The panic, the fumbling around for a solution… it’s all so D&D.

So, fellow players, do you have any favorite scenes from film and TV that FEEL like D&D play, either in execution or silliness? Let us know in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you!

Is Burger King Coming for the Wendy’s RPG Crown?

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Timing is a fascinating thing. You never know what will suddenly become relevant again, or how something from the past will reemerge with new context and impact later.

Last month I wrote about Feast of Legends, the Wendy’s roleplaying game released back in 2019, because I had fast food and RPGs on the brain.

Now, Feast of Legends made a big splash in 2019, but it’s fair to say that six years later, it’s not as relevant in RPG circles as it once was.

However, it’s funny that I wrote about it just a few weeks ago, and now it seems like Burger King is suddenly getting in on the roleplaying game scene!

Yes, Burger King’s Quest is a playable supplement for Dungeons & Dragons, featuring the Burger King Kingdom as its setting, and resurrecting several characters from Burger King’s promotional efforts in the 1970s and 1980s to counter McDonalds’ McDonaldland and its characters.

You definitely know the Burger King, but do you remember Sir Shake-A-Lot, the Duke of Doubt, or The Wizard of Fries? I sure don’t! (Who knew that The Home of the Whopper was a real place, not just a slogan?!)

Well they’re getting new life in this RPG supplement, which was unveiled at Lucca Comics & Games as part of Milan Games Week.

Right now, the game is only in Italian, so we’re not sure if English-speaking roleplayers will get their own version in the future. But thankfully the hardworking crew at the Burger King WIKI have some details on the game for non-Italian readers.

I don’t speak Italian, but I did download the game’s PDF, naturally. The art is beautiful, and clearly a lot of work went into this promotional stunt.

But you can already see a rivalry brewing with the Feast of Legends loyalists in the RPG community. (After all, I only found out about Burger King’s Quest BECAUSE of the Feast of Legends subreddit!)

I reached out to the Burger King Public Relations team to try to learn more about the promotion and any plans for it to expand beyond Italy, but I haven’t heard back yet.

So, for now at least, this remains a roleplaying curiosity. But who knows what the future holds. Wendy’s, Arby’s, and now Burger King. The fast food/roleplaying crossover space is certainly heating up!

Happy gaming (and eating), everyone!

The Curious Crossroads of Fast Food and Roleplaying Games

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Thanksgiving is coming soon, and with some time off looming, I’ve got both food and gaming on my mind.

There are plenty of food-fueled board games and card games out there. Just Desserts, Sushi Go!, Devil Bunny Needs a Ham, and Bread Basket (which we just reviewed!) all come to mind, alongside the dozens of food-themed Monopoly games out there.

But I’m a roleplaying game guy at heart, which means my thoughts turn to food-fueled RPGs. Thankfully, there are some choice options there.

Two of my favorites are Ninja Burger and The Tasty Lands of Silverplate.

Ninja Burger casts you and your fellow players as ninja deliverypersons, with the goal of sneaking into the customer’s house, delivering their food, stealing the correct amount of money from them, and leaving, all without being seen.

It is a riotously good time and one of my all-time favorite RPGs.

The Tasty Lands of Silverplate, on the other hand, isn’t a game on its own. It’s a setting for Dungeons & Dragons, allowing you to create characters made of food to go on adventures. Yes, as one of the foodfolk of Silverplate, you will trudge through mushroom forests and cotton candy swamps while engaging in acts of derring-do.

Silverplate is a terrific setting, welcoming lighthearted and pun-riddled gameplay to your table.

Oh, if you’re looking for food/RPG entertainment, you should definitely check out Dimension 20’s campaign A Crown of Candy on Dropout, which is Game of Thrones if it took place in the fridge. It has big Silverplate vibes and it is excellent and heartbreaking all at once.

You know, it’s funny that one of my favorite roleplaying games is fast food-related, because there is (as the title of this blog post promised) some unexpected crossover between the worlds of fast food and RPGs.

Oh, I don’t mean roleplaying games ABOUT food. I mean roleplaying games and materials manufactured BY fast food companies.

For instance, on two separate occasions, Arby’s produced a short run of Arby’s-themed roleplaying dice.

The original set was designed with an Arby’s hat at the center of each die, as well as the Arby’s logo for the number 20 spot on the D20. They sold out instantly in 2021, and a restock in 2023 was snapped up equally fast.

The second time around, Arby’s went to the company Norse Foundry, who are known for high-end quality dice, particularly their metal ones, and the newest iteration of Arby’s Dice were the beautiful beefy boys pictured above.

They sold out in less than a day, despite the price jumping from $12 for the 2021/2023 dice to $40 a set for the Norse Foundry dice.

Those dice are impressive to be sure, but not nearly as impressive as the complete, standalone roleplaying game designed for Wendy’s. It was called Feast of Legends.

Feast of Legends sets players in Freshtovia, one of the nations of Beef’s Keep, trying to ward off the impending threat of The Deep Freeze by rival nations with more than a passing resemblance to some other fast food franchises.

By taking up arms and representing organizations like The Order of the Spicy Chicken or The Order of the Sides, players can battle in honor of Queen Wendy and protect the realm from mediocre food and the horrors of freezer burn.

The PDF of the game was released for free, and a limited number of physical copies were produced for New York Comic Con. It was even played as a one-shot by internet actual play juggernaut Critical Role, though some negative press generated by some of the executives at Wendy’s (and through no fault of the hardworking team producing the game), caused the one-shot to be removed from YouTube, hurting the promotion of the game.

Still, Feast of Legends resonated with some RPG fans, and to this day, there’s an active subreddit dedicated to the game. Physical copies of the game are obviously quite rare, so fans were surprised to learn in an Instagram post last year that there are some physical copies in the hands of the game’s creator, Matt Keck.

I reached out to Matt (who was also the absolute wizard behind Wendy’s social media at the time, particularly their Twitter account), and he kindly took some time out to answer my questions about the creation of this unique roleplaying property.

What did the creative process look like? Who had the initial idea for the adventure?

I’m actually the reason it even got made. I worked on the Wendy’s team at the agency VML in Kansas City. My primary work was doing the Twitter jokes/roasts/etc., but I really got to work a little on everything. I love TTRPGs and I wanted to write a Wendy’s module.

When I realized they probably wouldn’t do an official partnership I took it upon myself to write it. I didn’t want too many questions about how we would get it done, so I had written the majority of the finished project before even pitching it. I still have a notebook with old sketches of maps and monsters. I really had all of the classes or Orders built out, the world drawn, and most of the story planned before showing anyone. That made it easy to get it made.

There’s a subreddit dedicated to Feast of Legends that still gets attention from the fan community. Does the game’s longevity surprise you? Were there plans for additional content? (A post from the Wendy’s reddit account suggests there might have been.)

It does and doesn’t surprise me. I had boasted it as a long-term brand play, but just because I say something that doesn’t mean it will always play out that way. I’m pumped any time someone has a good time playing it, or makes their own content for it, or even just tells me they enjoyed reading it. That was truly my passion project on that account, and I can only hope to do more in the space.

There were plans for more content, but after the pushback from the Critical Role episode, future plans got scrapped.

I had a breakfast module ready to go, along with exploring even more of the map. Plans always change, but I would’ve loved to make more in that world.

Is there a piece of lore/worldbuilding or idea of yours in the game that you’re particularly proud of? Or, conversely, one that you can’t believe actually made the cut?

I’ll tell you about one that got cut I loved, and that was the Grimagorgon. He was a two-headed grimace monster, and the first thing the lawyers said no to. My favorite piece isn’t something a lot of people would expect, but anyone who watches my videos will see my partner and friend Paul. In Feast of Legends there is a character named Old Man Paul that I wrote into the book just to roast him. As a good friend does.

As someone who really enjoyed playing Feast of Legends — and totally didn’t print out the PDF in its entirely at work so I could play it that week, no siree bob — it was a joy to talk with Matt about the game. Learning that it was something fun and important to him, and that it was a result of the famous axiom “don’t ask for permission, ask for forgiveness later” makes it an even more epic endeavor in my eyes.

These creative and unexpected crossovers between fast food and roleplaying games proves there’s an untapped market there, and I wish more companies would make the leap into the RPG realm. (Matt himself said “the card game space is still untapped and wide open. Give me a Secret Lair x Wendy’s.”)

I mean, if NASA can do it, why not Five Guys?

Anyway, I’m hungry. I’m gonna go grab some fries and ponder a Feast of Legends one-shot centered around dipping French fries in Frosties. Perhaps Queen Frostina and Fryderick of House Starch have run off together, and the party must keep them safe, seeking to turn the hearts of those who disapprove of the marriage of Frosties and French Fries!

Will you be indulging in any food-fueled gaming over Thanksgiving, friends? Let us know in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you.

Special thanks to Matt Keck for his time and insight. Check him out here, and if you’re looking for more RPG fun from the mind of Matt, please check out his Magic School Dropout videos here!

The Secret Wordplay of Spellcasting

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We love a bit of wordplay around here. We get it in riddles, crossword clues, brain teasers, and the simple shameless joy of a well-executed pun.

I’m sure plenty of roleplaying game enthusiasts have encountered puns and wordplay in their travels. Sometimes it’s a funny reference or an offhand remark or even a character’s name that inspires groans or chuckles.

But some folks are unaware that there are puns lurking not just at the D&D table… but in the very mechanics of the game Dungeons & Dragons itself.

One of the interesting aspects of spellcasting in D&D is the inclusion of spell components. These are actual physical materials the character must carry on them and use in order to properly perform a given spell. When combined with verbal cues or physical actions, the material components help the spellcaster summon the magic to life.

Some material components are quite thematically appropriate. You need bat guano and sulfur — two ingredients in gunpowder — to produce Fireball. To cast Lightning Bolt requires either a glass rod or a piece of amber, plus a piece of fur to rub it with… just as you would in a science lab to make static electricity.

A pinch of sand for Sleep, a drop of molasses for Slow, a bit of copper wire for Message.

Looks like another tragic instance of out-sorcery…

But if you look at the material components used for some spells, you can’t help but notice a jokey recurring theme.

For instance, the material component for the spell Detect Thoughts is a copper piece, a coin of small denomination. The spell literally requires a penny for one’s thoughts.

To cast Confusion, it requires three nutshells. You know, like the ones you’d use in a shell game to make them lose track of the pea they’d just bet on.

All sorts of illusion spells require a bit of fleece or wool. Like the wool you pull over someone’s eyes.

To cast Feeblemind, you need a handful of clay, crystal, or glass spheres. Like the marbles you want your target to lose.

Levitate has several options, but one of them is a simple loop of leather. Like the bootstraps you’re expected to pull yourself up by. (Reinforcing the original meaning of that phrase by proving IT’S TOTAL FANTASY TO ACTUALLY DO SO.)

To cast Tongues, you have to smash a small clay tower or ziggurat. You need to symbolically smash the Tower of Babel.

Passwall requires sesame seeds. Open Sesame, anyone?

Rary’s Mnemonic Enhancer gives you the ability to retain additional spells. Its material component is an ivory plaque… because elephants never forget!

Perhaps the silliest is Gust of Wind. It was later changed to require a “tiny leather bellows,” but in different editions of the game, all it requires is a legume seed.

A bean. A bean to give you wind.

I told you earlier that many puns are shameless.

Still, it’s fun to find these little easter eggs tucked away in the D&D rulebook. It shows the playfulness and the level of attention to detail that helps make roleplaying games an immersive escape like none other.

Have you found any wordplay lurking unexpectedly in your games, fellow puzzler? Let me know in the comments section below, I’d love to hear from you!

Big Changes in the TTRPG and Live Play Markets! Will Daggerheart Triumph?

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There have been some huge announcements in the actual play / live play space on YouTube, Twitch, and elsewhere, and it has huge ramifications for the RPG industry in general.

(If you’re unfamiliar with roleplaying games, I’ll have a brief glossary at the bottom of the post explaining the bolded terms in today’s post. Let me know if I should add more, or create a separate RPG glossary page to link to!)

I previously reported on staff leaving / being fired from Wizards of the Coast, the company that owns the Dungeons & Dragons brand. I also reported that several of those prominent names have since gone to work for D&D competitor Darrington Press on their new tabletop roleplaying game, Daggerheart.

So not only are industry icons Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins working on material for Daggerheart, but it was announced that Keith Baker is creating a new setting for Daggerheart!

(This video by Todd Kenreck — another popular public face for D&D, and another recent loss for WOTC after they unceremoniously fired him — details all the exciting new developments for Daggerheart.)

Most RPG games have core rulebooks that explain the game mechanics (why and how and when to roll dice) and a system for building characters to play, but it takes an exciting, immersive setting to help build a fanbase of players that want to return to the game again and again.

Keith Baker created Eberron, one of the most popular D&D settings ever, so his contributions are a big plus for the burgeoning Daggerheart gameplay space.

Darrington Press are making smart moves to position Daggerheart as a genuine challenger for the tabletop RPG market’s top spot, one that D&D has been losing its stranglehold on after years of unpopular business and creative choices.

But that’s not the only industry-shaking news being made by the Critical Role / Darrington Press camp.

They recently announced during one of their live shows that their upcoming fourth campaign — a years-long storytelling endeavor hotly anticipated by their fans — will have a new game master. For a decade now, Matt Mercer has told three epic-length stories with the Critical Role cast, all set in his homebrew setting of Exandria.

But for Campaign 4, there will be a new setting, new characters, and a new GM.

Brennan Lee Mulligan will be shepherding the Critical Role crew through Campaign 4, and Matt Mercer will finally get to step out from behind the GM screen and play a long-term PC on his own show.

Now, Brennan Lee Mulligan is a popular name in the liveplay TTRPG world. He GMs for Dropout’s Dimension 20 series, as well as running the wonderful audio-only RPG podcast Worlds Beyond Number, which will be wrapping up their flagship campaign “The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One” very soon.

Despite signing on for a potentially years-long storytelling adventure with the Critical Role team, Brennan claims that his GM work at Dropout will NOT be slowing down.

I envy him both his energy and his creative output.

As for all of this potentially industry-altering RPG news…

I have some thoughts.

1. Yay Keith Baker!

Keith Baker is absolutely one of my favorite creators in the world of games and RPGs. Eberron is a wonderful game setting that he continues to add to and enhance with blog posts and worldbuilding through his Patreon. (He also created one of my all-time favorite card games, Gloom.) He’s brilliant and I cannot wait to see what he creates for Darrington Press.

(This is not meant to downplay the good work being done at Darrington Press already OR to ignore the forthcoming creative contributions from Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford. I’m excited to see what they have in store as well.)

2. Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro seriously needs to watch out.

While they have been making money-first decisions for years and burning decades of good will with the players (the OGL scandal, the Spelljammer cultural insensitivity kerfuffle, sending actual Pinkertons after someone for leaking Magic: The Gathering details), Darrington Press has been quietly building and expanding their efforts.

They’re actively seeking out new game ideas and systems to diversify what they can offer their audience. They’ve got in-house D&D alums with DECADES of experience, and they’re collaborating with other prominent names in the RPG world (as well as the crew from the popular D&D podcast Tales of the Stinky Dragon).

While D&D keeps stumbling, Darrington Press is rolling. The next year or so is going to tell us a lot about the future of the industry.

3. I’m stoked for Matt Mercer.

He’s been running Critical Role’s game for over ten years, creating a world not just for his friends and fellow players, but for an audience of tens or hundreds of thousands of viewers. That’s daunting, even when you do love GMing (as Matt clearly does).

But the chance to set that aside, recharge your creative batteries, and play instead of run? I hope Matt gets to really spread his storytelling wings in a different way and enjoy Campaign Four.

4. A new setting, a new Game Master, and a reshuffling of players could breathe new life into Critical Role.

Their third campaign was divisive, and I think a clean break could not only offer some excellent roleplay and storytelling opportunities, but it could help the audience MISS the setting of Exandria for a while. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and this might just be what both the audience and the cast and crew of Critical Role need to continue telling hilarious, engrossing, emotionally-affecting stories around the table with some dice. Here’s hoping.

5. Brennan Lee Mulligan is an absolute madman.

I mean, I get it; at one point, I was running four weekly games AND playing in a fifth. I once roleplayed eight days in a row, and my week feels weird if there’s only one game that happens. Gods forbid there’s a week with NO games. It’s a hobby, a release, and it brings me joy.

But still, he’s putting a lot on his plate. Someone on social media referred to him as “the world’s most employed man,” and it’s hard to disagree.

6. With all the talk about D&D and Daggerheart, it’s a little bit of a bummer that I’m not hearing more about Matt Coville’s Draw Steel and Kobold Press’s Tales of the Valiant.

When the OGL Scandal exploded a few years ago, they were among the three games constantly touted as a rising competitor to D&D (Daggerheart was the third). But it feels like Daggerheart is taking up a lot of the oxygen in the room these days, so I hope that Draw Steel and Tales of the Valiant can also carve themselves out a nice chunk of the market space D&D is ceding.

The live play TTRPG space is vast, and there are so many great live plays to choose from, big and small. (Maybe I should do a future post about my favorites!)

It’s certainly going to be interesting to see if Daggerheart live plays begin to gain traction on YouTube and Twitch, and D&D live plays fall out of favor over the next few years. (With the company’s new franchise business model focusing on monetizing the brand over relying on D&D gameplay and sourcebooks as a lure, they might’ve already unconsciously ceded some territory online to their competitors.)

And speaking of competition, a lot of people view Dimension 20 and Critical Role as competitors. Sure, any companies that operate in the same space are in competition somewhat, but I prefer to think of them as siblings scrambling for slices of the same fresh-baked pie. No one is cutting throats over pie, after all.

In the end, I just want people to be excited to sit around a table (either a real one or a virtual one) and play roleplaying games with their pals. If any of these big changes, collaborations, or endeavors mean we get more players trying RPGs, then I’m calling it a win.

How do you feel about all of this RPG live play hullabaloo, fellow dice-rollers? Let me know in the comments section below! I’d love to hear from you.

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Brief RPG Glossary!

Campaign: Shorthand for all of the creative work that goes into running a D&D game for any length of time. The campaign is the mix of your choice of game, the players, the setting, and the story you all tell together. Campaigns can be as short as a few sessions or run as long as decades, all depending on player interest, scheduling, and enthusiasm for the game. For comparison, Dimension 20’s live play campaigns range from 4 sessions to multiple chapters with 10-20 sessions per season.

Session: A single instance of gameplay. If you play a game four times in the same story in the same world as a continuing narrative, you’ve had four sessions of gameplay.

Players & Player Characters / PCs: Those who play the game. They create a character that explores the world, interacting with the other players as well as NPCs performed by the DM

Non-Player Characters / NPCs: Characters played by the DM/GM. Everyone the players interact with in the game, friend or foe.

DM / GM / Dungeonmaster / Game Master / Storyteller: the person who runs the game. They describe what the players see and experience, they play all of the characters the players interact with, and they explain the consequences and results of all the dice rolls the players make. They create villains to fight, conflicts to be solved, and provide every voice, sound, and piece of description the players encounter. A good description for the GM is “everyone and everything else.” (Thanks to the audio-only D&D podcast Worlds Beyond Number for that perfectly concise phrasing.)

Setting: The world where the story and the game’s events take place, described to the players by the GM. Some settings are created especially for a given RPG (and can have dozens of sourcebooks dedicated to them), but many GMs create their own settings (which are known as “homebrew” settings). An intriguing and exciting setting can be crucial to helping an RPG attract and retain an audience of players.

Actual play / live play: Dungeons & Dragons or other RPGs played live on YouTube, Twitch, or other online video services. Some are run/played by professional actors or comedians (Critical Role, Dimension 20), others by enthusiastic players outside the entertainment sphere. Production values can vary, and some are audio only. But there’s a whole world of them out there to explore.