Players have room to get creative without feeling paralyzed by infinite choices or bogged down by complicated rules. All come in varying levels of rule complexity and structure.ĭungeons and Dragons is somewhere in the middle of the spectrum - the rules are simple enough to follow as a beginner, but there’s a very clear structure to work within. There are Star Wars games, games based on tarot cards, and even a Wet Hot American Summer game. There are tons of RPGs with different settings and mythologies. While Dungeons and Dragons is definitely the most popular tabletop roleplaying game, it’s not the only one. It can be daunting, but the good news is that there are so many resources out there for new D&D players. Whether you’ve watched a ton of D&D streams and are ready to run your own games or you have never seen a roleplaying game in action, this guide will help you figure out where to start. You can appreciate the “sport” while recognizing that you won’t reach that level of mastery without years of practice.

I spoke to Nathan Stewart and Greg Tito, two representatives from Wizards of the Coast, who both compared watching D&D streams to watching professional athletes.

Watching live D&D campaigns can be alternately inspiring and intimidating for potential players looking to get into the hobby. When high profile nerds like Dan Harmon and Felicia Day bring their celebrity friends to the table and put it on the internet, their fans are introduced to the joys of fantasy roleplaying without ever picking up a 20-sided die. Publisher Wizards of the Coast confirmed to Syfy Wire that 2017 was its biggest sales year in history, thanks in large part to streaming. The iconic fantasy role-playing game is having a moment. Whether you watched the Stranger Things kids fight a demogorgon, listened to Taako, Merle and Magnus hunt down relics on The Adventure Zone, or watched and listened to “a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons and Dragons” on Critical Role, chances are you’ve consumed D&D in some form of media.

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