What has brought about a rekindling of interest toward tabletop roleplaying games—in every way, shape, and form—in the year 2024? We're here to talk about the possible reasons for TTRPGs' present-day "resurgence."
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For many people, the phrase "Dungeons & Dragons" (D&D) evokes a specific mental image, one that comprises polyhedral dice, pencils on character sheets, intricate figurines, and a grid map so large that it can cover the surface of your dinner table—hence the term "tabletop roleplaying game" (shortened to TTRPG). As a game system, the TTRPG is unique in that it compels its players to speak and act out as their characters, something you hardly see with board games and video games. In this way, TTRPGs promote an exciting and engaging form of collaborative storytelling, one that has persisted since the 1970s and that requires little of each person—a pencil, paper, dice, and their boundless imagination.
It goes without saying that D&D, now in its fifth edition, is the most well-known TTRPG system out there, and its appeal has stood the test of time (popular Netflix series Stranger Things frequently pays tribute to it throughout the seasons). However, it would be a stretch to say that D&D is the only system out there worth trying for both old and new players. Several decades have spawned several unique systems covering all sorts of genres—from fantasy to sci-fi, steampunk, Westerns, and even horror—some that are far more accessible to newbies than D&D 5E's rigid rule set. Though D&D remains a timeless classic, its popularity has given birth to these various systems that pique the interest of every type of player.
Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) serves as the party's dungeon master (DM) in the fourth season of Stranger Things.
Photo Source: https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/stranger-things-joe-quinn-plays-d-and-d-for-the-first-time
Fast-forward to this year, 2024, and you would find countless media directly or indirectly influenced by D&D and, by extension, TTRPGs. For instance, Critical Role—a show that began in 2012 wherein a group of voice actors, led by Matthew Mercer, play D&D—has reached such heights of popularity and renown that Amazon Prime produced an animated series inspired by the show's first campaign, The Legend of Vox Machina. To this day, the cast continue to play D&D, along with other systems, with other friends and guest stars to their hearts' content, and Critical Role is currently deep into its third campaign.
Some party members of Vox Machina stand united in the 2022 animated Amazon Prime series.
Photo Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11247158/
Critical Role isn't the only show people are tuning into for their TTRPG fix either. Streaming service Dropout, formerly CollegeHumor on YouTube, has hosted the Dimension 20 series for over twenty seasons, with each campaign more unique than the last. Brennan Lee Mulligan serves as the game master (GM) for most of them, while Aabria Iyengar often steps in as the GM for the rest. Unlike with Critical Role, whose seasons are usually set in one world with one overarching narrative, Dimension 20's campaigns span various genres and various stories, from a modern "high school" fantasy (Fantasy High) to worlds and narratives inspired by Harry Potter (Misfits & Magic), Lord of the Rings (Escape from the Bloodkeep), Game of Thrones (A Crown of Candy), Sherlock Holmes (Mice & Murder), and even Bridgerton (A Court of Fey & Flowers).
The cast of Fantasy High are captured with GM Brennan Lee Mulligan in this Dimension 20 promo picture.
Photo Source: https://www.dicebreaker.com/topics/dimension-20/news/dimension-20-fantasy-high-junior-year-trailer-premiere-date
At last, perhaps the cherry on top of this "TTRPG resurgence" sundae is the critical success of the 2023 video game Baldur's Gate 3, set in the country of Faerun and heavily inspired by D&D's world and mechanics. Apart from the game's intricate combat system and boundless open world, players were drawn to the endearing companions and epic storyline of BG3 as well as its "dice roll" feature, wherein players roll a D20 to determine whether they succeed or fail in carrying out specific actions during different quests—faithful to D&D's dice-roll mechanics.
A player rolls a 20, also known as a "critical success," in Baldur's Gate 3.
All this is to say that TTRPGs, in many ways, can be counted on as one of the most enjoyable pastimes with friends and loved ones when it comes to role-playing games and collaborative storytelling, whether it's a single session or a campaign spanning weeks, months, or even years. In terms of how mainstream media has portrayed TTRPGs, specifically D&D, apart from Stranger Things, we can count the 2023 movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, featuring big names such as Chris Pine and Hugh Grant, as a very good sign that this genre of gaming is still on the rise, with no signs of coming down anytime soon.
For those interested in dabbling in TTRPGs for the first time, we can offer this advice: gather a friend or two (or ten), find a system that is well-suited for your group (it doesn't have to be D&D; there are tons of other rulebooks out there to read and try out!), and play away. Some games use dice, while others use more creative props and mechanics, such as a Jenga tower. Some groups prefer to play live sessions, while others have found that playing TTRPGs via weekly online video or audio calls is also a very convenient way to continue their respective campaigns; in fact, this is how a lot of TTRPG influencers managed to continue their games during the pandemic.
While earlier generations made do with pencils, paper, dice, and handmade maps, TTRPG players today have an entire arsenal of tools, rulebooks, and means of communication to choose from to kickstart their campaign as well as numerous D&D-inspired movies and series to watch for inspiration. For TTRPGs, imagination and ingenuity are key, and the next exciting story to tell to your friends and loved ones is simply a dice roll away.
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