Written by: Kevin Berge
What have we become as a society that we will pay $11 million for an animated form of a group of friends sitting around a table having a laugh? The answer: truly cultured. (Image Courtesy of: kickstarter.com)
How do we tell stories? Written storytelling carries primarily the ideas of the writer with certain help from the editor. Movies and television especially are built on the collaboration of all those involved from the directors and screenwriters to the producers and effects workers.
Even in the most individualized production, there is collaboration. Stories are not created in a vacuum. Whether built on years of inspiration or driven by the guidance of others involved, we as a society tell stories together not apart.
This may seem obvious, but it is fascinating to see how certain types of storytelling are promoted or rejected based on the source. This is particularly true of games. Whenever interactivity is involved in creating a story, it tends to muddy the public perception.
Video games face this degree of backlash including the constant question of "what is art?". However, there is another form of gaming that is more clearly looked down upon yet creates some the purest forms of storytelling: Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TTRPGs), highlighted by the most well known game Dungeons & Dragons.
Even in the most individualized production, there is collaboration. Stories are not created in a vacuum. Whether built on years of inspiration or driven by the guidance of others involved, we as a society tell stories together not apart.
This may seem obvious, but it is fascinating to see how certain types of storytelling are promoted or rejected based on the source. This is particularly true of games. Whenever interactivity is involved in creating a story, it tends to muddy the public perception.
Video games face this degree of backlash including the constant question of "what is art?". However, there is another form of gaming that is more clearly looked down upon yet creates some the purest forms of storytelling: Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TTRPGs), highlighted by the most well known game Dungeons & Dragons.
TTRPGs are purely interactive storytelling. Some systems allow for more or less freedom, but the base is the ability to choose your own path. D&D especially in its most current edition 5th edition (5e) does not challenge the player as much with gameplay, allowing them to explore the story aspect above all else.
For many reasons, D&D is looked down upon. It was the height of nerd culture for a long time, seen as the primary example of what defines you as a true nerd. However, that stigma has fallen by the wayside in recent years. This is because fandom and nerd culture is actually a large part of modern society because of our media.
For this reason, TTPRGs and D&D in particular have become central part of the current media landscape. Just last year, Critical Role, now the most well known D&D web series, broke records with its historic $11.3 million campaign to fund a TV series based on the series.
That soon-to-be-created animated series was then bought as an Amazon Prime exclusive for two seasons. This comes off the back of many popular D&D webseries, and perhaps the closest to TV D&D has gotten in recent years: the VRV series HarmonQuest.
For many reasons, D&D is looked down upon. It was the height of nerd culture for a long time, seen as the primary example of what defines you as a true nerd. However, that stigma has fallen by the wayside in recent years. This is because fandom and nerd culture is actually a large part of modern society because of our media.
For this reason, TTPRGs and D&D in particular have become central part of the current media landscape. Just last year, Critical Role, now the most well known D&D web series, broke records with its historic $11.3 million campaign to fund a TV series based on the series.
That soon-to-be-created animated series was then bought as an Amazon Prime exclusive for two seasons. This comes off the back of many popular D&D webseries, and perhaps the closest to TV D&D has gotten in recent years: the VRV series HarmonQuest.
You ever wonder why D&D is almost a synonym for TTRPG games now. It's mainly because anyone creating a game based on them just assumed it was a synonym in looking for inspiration. (Image Courtesy of: tribality.com)
I certainly do not want to undercut the many popular series out there by not mentioning them. The point is that D&D is expanding. It is also not the only TTRPG that is growing in attention and popularity. Pathfinder recently release a 2nd edition the closest to a fantasy competitor to D&D.
Call of Cthulhu, Warhammer, World of Darkness, Shadowrun, and many popular franchises turned into TTRPGs especially Star Wars stand out. Their effect is more limited, but they all stand as alternatives.
D&D has endured through its effect on the medium as a whole. It has expanded out in its effect over all media. D&D video games have been created based on older systems such as Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter, and Planescape: Torment.
Even more base level, D&D was the basis that began to inspire video game RPGs when they first created. Ultima was heavily based on the D&D system, which helped inspired Dragon Quest, setting two unique styles in RPGs for the future.
It is easy to see the way that D&D and its like have also shaped media. Even if fantasy is an uncommon genre as a whole, the fantasy of groups coming together to fight as one, learn about each other, and overcome struggles is so integral to stories. It does not start at D&D, but the game helped shaped modern storytellers.
The heart of this conversation is that anyone can give TTRPGs a try without concern. It is just one more way to explore storytelling. With just a few dice and an idea in your head, you can create a character and begin adventuring as long as you have a group to come with you.
We all have an idea of what it is like to roleplay. It can feel weird and unnatural at first, but the freedom that it brings is unlike anything else. You learn through experience just as you do the system of the game itself. You just have to let yourself work into it.
It doesn't always mean grand or weird voices. It doesn't mean cosplay. These are all aspects of making some feel comfortable. What matters is that you feel yourself in the story. You feel right in telling your own character's story and playing off the stories of others.
Every group has a Dungeon Master (DM) [similar terms apply for other TTRPG such as Game Master (GM)]. This is a different level of storytelling similar to that of the writer or director. However, that individual has far more freedom and less control. The best DM is one that lets everyone play a role in shaping their stories.
Call of Cthulhu, Warhammer, World of Darkness, Shadowrun, and many popular franchises turned into TTRPGs especially Star Wars stand out. Their effect is more limited, but they all stand as alternatives.
D&D has endured through its effect on the medium as a whole. It has expanded out in its effect over all media. D&D video games have been created based on older systems such as Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter, and Planescape: Torment.
Even more base level, D&D was the basis that began to inspire video game RPGs when they first created. Ultima was heavily based on the D&D system, which helped inspired Dragon Quest, setting two unique styles in RPGs for the future.
It is easy to see the way that D&D and its like have also shaped media. Even if fantasy is an uncommon genre as a whole, the fantasy of groups coming together to fight as one, learn about each other, and overcome struggles is so integral to stories. It does not start at D&D, but the game helped shaped modern storytellers.
The heart of this conversation is that anyone can give TTRPGs a try without concern. It is just one more way to explore storytelling. With just a few dice and an idea in your head, you can create a character and begin adventuring as long as you have a group to come with you.
We all have an idea of what it is like to roleplay. It can feel weird and unnatural at first, but the freedom that it brings is unlike anything else. You learn through experience just as you do the system of the game itself. You just have to let yourself work into it.
It doesn't always mean grand or weird voices. It doesn't mean cosplay. These are all aspects of making some feel comfortable. What matters is that you feel yourself in the story. You feel right in telling your own character's story and playing off the stories of others.
Every group has a Dungeon Master (DM) [similar terms apply for other TTRPG such as Game Master (GM)]. This is a different level of storytelling similar to that of the writer or director. However, that individual has far more freedom and less control. The best DM is one that lets everyone play a role in shaping their stories.
I honestly just wanted to share this beautiful art commissioned for our very own Disaster Party. They were a mess, especially the rogue in the center. He was a true colorful mess. (Image Courtesy of: @patrogando via commission from @cavannarose)
I wanted to write all this because I have personally been playing TTRPGs for over two years. It is not a lot of time, but I have put in upwards of 900 hours into it over that time. My life has been shaped by this medium of storytelling.
I have been a player and DM. I have created numerous different characters ranging from those that die in one session to those that last through an entire campaign stretching 46. In fact, the very first game I ever played just reached its conclusion in this past week, going from level 1 to level 20, the complete arc of basic D&D.
It has its ups and downs. It has successes and failures. The storytelling was not as tight as if I wrote the story myself. The moments were not as numerous. However, I will remember forever the memories of telling this story with friends.
My half-elf ranger went from a loner, isolated in the woods for decades, to a hero with a group of friends he could trust and the power of a ranger and a druid behind him. He fell in love with a human sorcerer, who showed him that he could be all his dreamed of. He helped stop an evil undead spellcaster then slay a god.
Along the way, I met a group of friends that I have crafted an indelible bond with even if we still bicker constantly. I found the love of my life in a fellow player. I love you, Missy. I overcame elements of my social anxiety to speak on behalf of my character and help him grow into a complete individual.
I want everyone to have the chance to tell their own story. As I close the chapter on this game, I begin preparing to run my own longer campaign. I am creating a whole world and landscape including a detailed map of a fantasy continent. I am creating a pantheon and thousands of years of history within individual cities.
Even beyond that, I have more games to look forward to. I have more D&D to play as a charismatic gay aasimar bard. I have a chance to dive into the world of noir where I can play a tortured journalist. I can play games of Call of Cthulhu where I can fall into sheer terror as monsters come to destroy my character's sanity.
Every opportunity is a fresh moment, a new reality. It is a chance to open myself. I feel myself growing as a writer and a person, constantly inspired by these interactive games we play together. I would not trade any of it for any other experience.
I wrote and published my own novel in 2018, and it was the proudest moment I have ever had as a writer. Every day playing D&D and other TTRPGs with my friends is its own personal proud moment, especially those days we are on, those days we tell better stories than I could ever tell alone.
I have been a player and DM. I have created numerous different characters ranging from those that die in one session to those that last through an entire campaign stretching 46. In fact, the very first game I ever played just reached its conclusion in this past week, going from level 1 to level 20, the complete arc of basic D&D.
It has its ups and downs. It has successes and failures. The storytelling was not as tight as if I wrote the story myself. The moments were not as numerous. However, I will remember forever the memories of telling this story with friends.
My half-elf ranger went from a loner, isolated in the woods for decades, to a hero with a group of friends he could trust and the power of a ranger and a druid behind him. He fell in love with a human sorcerer, who showed him that he could be all his dreamed of. He helped stop an evil undead spellcaster then slay a god.
Along the way, I met a group of friends that I have crafted an indelible bond with even if we still bicker constantly. I found the love of my life in a fellow player. I love you, Missy. I overcame elements of my social anxiety to speak on behalf of my character and help him grow into a complete individual.
I want everyone to have the chance to tell their own story. As I close the chapter on this game, I begin preparing to run my own longer campaign. I am creating a whole world and landscape including a detailed map of a fantasy continent. I am creating a pantheon and thousands of years of history within individual cities.
Even beyond that, I have more games to look forward to. I have more D&D to play as a charismatic gay aasimar bard. I have a chance to dive into the world of noir where I can play a tortured journalist. I can play games of Call of Cthulhu where I can fall into sheer terror as monsters come to destroy my character's sanity.
Every opportunity is a fresh moment, a new reality. It is a chance to open myself. I feel myself growing as a writer and a person, constantly inspired by these interactive games we play together. I would not trade any of it for any other experience.
I wrote and published my own novel in 2018, and it was the proudest moment I have ever had as a writer. Every day playing D&D and other TTRPGs with my friends is its own personal proud moment, especially those days we are on, those days we tell better stories than I could ever tell alone.
