Article by Christopher Cruz
It’s not just video games that dominate the digital airwaves on platforms like Twitch — there’s a huge contingent of viewers who yearn for the old days of pen and paper, with tabletop RPGs making a huge splash virtually in the last few years. In fact, once-niche games like Dungeons & Dragons (which turns 50 this year) have taken on new life in the age of livestreaming, and more popular than ever.
Leading the charge are “actual plays,” podcasts or web shows that feature groups of players creating narratives from their imaginations, without the aid of flashy video game visuals, and their popularity has led to a tabletop resurgence whose audience is now more inclusive and diverse. Spanning the genre mainstays, officially licensed extensions of existing franchises, and even homebrew titles people are making themselves, it’s one of the most unexpectedly engrossing ways to lose yourself online.
But how can watching folks roll dice and making up a story out of thin air be so engaging? Like anything online, it begins with the personalities. With known super geeks Vin Diesel, Joe Manganiello, and Wil Wheaton pushing their favorite hobbies in interviews and YouTube appearances for years, alongside the rise of content creators whose fans hang captive for hours on end, it was only a matter of time before tabletop games took hold of mainstream attention. Most groups in the space, like some of the ones featured below, are comprised of beloved figures of nerdom, from voice actors who dominate the anime and video spaces, to comedians who kill on socials, but what makes actual plays so addictive to watch boils down to what has always made them work. It’s about community.
For those who play, the appeal of games like Dungeons & Dragons has long been sitting down with a group of friends week after week just shooting the shit. It’s a shared experience, limited only by imagination, where people can work together (or against each other) to create worlds and stories that reflect their own desires. It’s a ritual. And nothing describes the rise of livestreaming itself than ritualistic viewing. Think of it as an ongoing audio book that’s written in real time, narrated by a handful of professional friends just having a good time. It’s all the joys of TTRPG without having to manage the rules…
If you like puzzles as much as Deborah Ann Woll, you’ll want to check out her show Children of Éarte. Follow along on the train for the Northland Heritage Line from Gravelhurst Station to the Twin Creek Mining Co., the Town of Hollowvale, along the Black Water Bay to Bellecastle Cap, and the Farnshall Wilds!
Deborah Ann Woll - GM
Hope LaVelle as Robin Beckett
Alicia Marie as Fairuza Armstrong
Adam Bradford as Silas Jordan
Lauren Urban as Carolyn ‘Neb’ Stern
Jennifer Kretchmer as Maeve Flynn
Now this story is going to begin in a world not unlike our own. Much of it will be recognizable, familiar to all of you.
You begin on a train station. It’s not very busy. There’s quite a few people coming around. You’ve seen a number of trains coming through the station. It’s a fairly old-fashioned train station. It’s open air, but ti has a high-domed glass roof above it. You can hear some birds outside, but there’s also a little chilll to the air as it is December and winter is upon us.
You have made your way to the station, found a comfortable seat because you all received a ticket from the Nortland Heritage Line to take the Starlight Special, which is a luxury train trip through the Northern Wildlands. You get to go on exciting excursions. It’s all inclusive with fine dining and you get to learn a little bit about train travel and the history of trains while you are on this trip.
So, let’s start with all of you on the platform here.
The intro song (Hartley - Fly Free) is part of a royalty-free collection.
♪ Bags are packed, are you ready to go?
This time tomorrow we’ll be on the road.
Riding with you into sunnier days.
I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Taking the good with the ups and downs
I wanna see how the world turns 'round
Let’s go adventure in the deep blue sea
Home is with you, wherever that may be
Home is with you, wherever that may be♪