When I was a teenager,Dungeons & Dragonswas considered the domain of outcasts and nerds (which co-incidentally I also was), but, thanks to pop culture references in shows such as The Big Bang Theory andStranger Things, it’s entered the mainstream and more people have begun to explore this unique world than ever before.
There are many ways to get into D&D nowadays: hopping right in and getting a spot at a table, playing a game likeBaldur’s Gate 3, reading a book, watching a live play, or listening to a podcast. So much content is on offer that it’s difficult to know where to start. Luckily, Dimension 20 is here to answer the call.
I started my D&D journey by doing the first option, jumping in at the deep end of a campaign with a group of TG editors who are similarly clueless and chaotically minded. Currently, we are about halfway through a campaign written by our very own editor-in-chief, Stacey Henley, and we’ve already adopted afire fiend demon, dropped a two-tonne plesiosaur on a giant, destroyed some stuff for no reason, and have to keep stopping one of our party from drinking everything they see, with no regard for personal safety.
Playing is incredibly fun, and you don’t have to know much to do it. However, to do it well, you need a firm grasp of your character’s mechanics. For me, listening to or watching other people play is the best way to learn, so I set out on a quest to find a live play that connected with me.
At this point, I’ve listened to over a dozen podcasts, watched several D&D channels, andeven experienced a live one-shot, but it wasn’t until I took up the recommendation to watch Dropout’s Dimension 20 that I found a group of players who have kept me entertained, intrigued, and informed enough to stick with them. And in doing so, I finally feel more confident in my own game.
The main pull of Dimension 20 is that it offers a perfect blend of planning, improvisation, and cast chemistry. Brennan Lee Mulligan is in the DM chair for most of the series, and his blend of humour, well-honed improvisation skills, and ability to pivot in seconds to anything his party throws at him makes the show a joy to watch.
There’s a core cast of players, known as the Intrepid Heroes: Emily Axford, Ally Beardsley, Brian Murphy, Zac Oyama, Siobhan Thompson, and Lou Wilson, and most campaigns are run using Dungeons & Dragons 5e with house rules (although recent series, like Mentopolis, have branched out into other rule systems like Kids on Bikes). As the series has evolved, other people have stepped into the hot seat and given Brennan a chance to play a character, mostly Aabria Lyengar, as well as notable players from the TTRPG community likeCritical Role’s Matt Mercer. Many of these players know each other, and the chemistry between them is excellent, with almost all of the participants having worked together on CollegeHumour and later Dropout.
While the bulk of Dimension 20 content is on the Dropout streaming service, you can find Fantasy High Seasons 1 and 2, The Unsleeping City Season 1, and the one-shot Escape From The Bloodkeep in full on theDimension 20 YouTube Channel.
When you have a bunch of people from an improvisational comedy or acting background, vying for attention could be an issue as everyone tries to hog the limelight. But that doesn’t happen here. In every series, there are times when things descend into chaos, but every player gets time to shine, which means no matter which characters you take to, you’ll get to see them shine at one point or another.
I’ve also learned a lot about the mechanics of D&D and the dynamics of playing at a table just from watching. Especially in the early series, several players are new to the game and it very much does feel like you learn alongside them all, as they work out what they can do, and how far the boundaries can be pushed.
A great cast is useless if the narratives are dull, but Dimension 20 also shines here. In contrast to shows like Critical Role, with long-running campaigns spread over months and years in the shared world of Exandria, Dimension 20 taps out at 18 - 20 episodes a season, and is mostly self-contained. Some campaigns span more than one season, with Fantasy High currently airing its third outing. The one-shot side quests alongside the main Intrepid Heroes seasons run from four to ten episodes, offering an even quicker way to get into a story, and be introduced to cast members who aren’t in the regular D20 roster.
Special shoutout to Erika Ishii’s Lilith from Escape From The Bloodkeep, I can’t imagine dealing with that many teenagers.
You don’t need hundreds of hours to complete a storyline and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll fall in love with the cast and the characters way faster as a result, even in the shortest of seasons.
Being unafraid to experiment with genres is the final piece of the Dimension 20 puzzle, with the Intrepid Heroes seasons covering a high school that trains adventurers, a gritty, magical version of New York City, a candy-land meets Game of Thrones-inspired setting made entirely of food, the sci-fi setting of Starstruck, and a land corrupted by twisted fairy tales. These are added to by a range of shorter “side quests” that include a LOTR parody from the evil army’s point of view, a noir thriller set in the mind of a scientist, Inside Out-style, a heist by tiny Borrower-like people, children of horror icons, a vampire road trip, and more.
Dimension 20 is a perfect blend of talented DMs, players with incredible chemistry and skill, a series of diverse settings and feels, a bite-sized structure that makes jumping in at almost any point simple, and also the most diverse bunch of characters I’ve ever encountered. It’s the perfect way to experience D&D.
