Week 12 [10-16.06.19] The D&D Renaissance

The D&D Renaissance

Be it gaming conventions, superhero movies or streaming anime on netflix there is no denying that 

nerd culture is on the rise. As the boundaries of what is considered socially acceptable or cool, keep 

getting pushed some of the more obscure hobbies, activities and fandoms emerge into the public 

light. Among such activities are tabletop RPGs, or role-playing games. I decided to write a short 

summary on just what are those about and why one might want to get interested.

Why are we talking about it again?

You might have heard about tRPGs before without realising. Earlier this year Critical Role, a D&D 

streaming show, broke all records on Kickstarter by gathering over 10 million USD to create an 

animated adaptation of their own campaign. Last summer social media (mostly Tumblr) exploded 

during the finale of a role-playing podcast: The Adventure Zone. Maybe you’ve heard names like 

D&D, Warhammer RPG, Call of of Cthulhu, Cyberpunk, Fate or, God forbid, GURPS. Those are 

game systems but we will get to that.

That moment when you make a joke and suddenly it’s real. (Critical Role cast. Processing.)

So, what is it, really?

When trying to understand what a tRPG is, the term communal storytelling seems key. The core 

concept is to gather with a group of players, assume the roles of fictional characters of your own 

creation and tell a story, together. How it usually plays out is that one person becomes a game 

master – a narrator of sorts who fleshes out the setting. It’s their job to prepare the adventure by 

either writing their own (very ambitious and extremely satisfying when it comes to life), or reaching 

for a ready campaign setting (the sane option, most game-system guides come with their own 

setting). They present the players with an imaginary world to explore, challenges to overcome and 

mysteries to solve. The players job is to make the GMs life a nightmare by derailing their story 

breath life into the story by playing their characters, interacting with the setting and pushing the story 

in crazy directions with their insane choices. So, bottom line, it’s about playing make-pretend with 

your friends.

Roll the dice!

The rule systems exist to keep it grounded and fair for everyone involved. They are the part which 

turns the practice into an actual social game. The GM usually also governs the rules, thou it’s not 

uncommon for the person most experienced in the system to take this burden of their shoulders. 

There exists a variety of systems: each representing a different approach to storytelling. The thing 

that most have in common is that success of an attempted action is usually determined by a dice roll 

(with appropriate modifiers representing how good your character is at whatever they are trying to 

accomplish). Roll high to bake the perfect pie, or roll low and produce a lump of coal. Just like real 

life, but you don’t have to eat it, hence spectacular failures tend to be the most entertaining.

Why should I care?

The games appeal to people in a multitude of ways. Whether you enjoy creative problem solving, 

live for the drama of grand stories, love to crush those combat encounters with perfectly min-maxed 

builds or you just want to goof around with your friends, D&D has got you covered. It’s the perfect 

social practice, one could say that role playing is to life what pornography is to sex. That is fake, but 

usually better in every way. Most importantly through, every session is a breeding ground for unique 

stories and inside-jokes that will always remain personal for you and your friends.

Here are some questions to start a conversation:

1. Did You ever play a tabletop RPG? What was Your experience?

2. Does the concept sound appealing? Are You going to try to get into it?

3. What other nerdy hobbies do You enjoy? What can You recommend?