At Wellesley, some students dedicate hundreds of hours to, of all things, watch other people play a game: Dungeons and Dragons. You may know it from Stranger Things, or something a nerdy parent played, or you may be extremely confused by what I’m talking about. Dungeons and Dragons is a tabletop role playing game, arguably the most well-known of all tabletop games. Very basically, a group of people create fictional characters using a wide range of prescribed features and skills that were originally outlined in a series of handbooks. One person is the dungeon master (DM), also called the game master (GM). The GM sets the scene by narrating a fictional world and presenting conflicts to the player characters (PCs). Together, based on the rules and mechanics of D&D, the players and the GM tell a story through their adventures.
Though D&D has existed since 1974, the history of actual play is very new. Actual play, sometimes called live play, is a genre of web show or podcast where people participate in role playing games. The first actual play show started as a podcast in 2008 and shifted to a web show format in 2010. Since then, the genre has taken off.
Having been an avid viewer of actual play shows for more than four years and a player of D&D for almost a decade, I wanted to talk with Wellesley students about why they watch these shows and what their experience has been. Of the ten students I interviewed, their responses reflected a wide range of perspectives on why and how they engage with this media. Many students favored one of the two most known shows, Critical Role and Dimension20. Others listen to podcasts, like the Adventure Zone, or they listen to the audio version of web shows as podcasts.
These shows can be an incredible time commitment. One mini season on Dimension20 is almost 10 hours. The standard seasons on Dimension20 are relatively short compared to other actual play shows, but they are still usually 40 hours long. Critical Role, which is known for its years-long campaigns, airs weekly four-hour episodes, and their last campaign spanned more than 500 hours. Actual play audiences have long since become used to this structure. “The episode length was not a problem for me. I’m the kind of person who for fun watches two-hour video essays.” For some students at Wellesley, this time commitment was a draw for them. They used actual play podcasts to fill long hours of driving, or as background in crowded settings to help with sensory overload. “The time commitment was actually an appeal because these shows would be my background when I took up whittling and metalwork. Actual play shows were a really good way to engage my mind. They became a time-keeping device. When an episode ends, I remember I need to get water, stand up and stretch, they help remind me to take care of my body.” Others felt intimidated by the longer running shows. Yet they all kept coming back to these shows. “My first show was Critical Role. With four to five hour episodes, at first, I thought it was way too much. Now, I’ve gotten spoiled. When they have a three-hour episode, it feels so short. When I see actual play shows that are 30 minutes edited down, I’m surprised.”
Students took many different paths in discovering these shows. In fact, of the ten students interviewed, only two found actual play through the same source, the recommendation of a friend. Others started watching because they saw references to these shows on social media or found actual play through a connection to another show or a specific cast member.
When asked why they watch, participants described that they were drawn in by the combination of the spontaneity of improv and the powerful, character-driven storytelling of these shows. “It feels more tangible than a show that isn’t actively being written as it unfolds.” In their own words, every participant noted that the structure of actual play shows, with player characters, made it unique in terms of creating authentic character choices. “There’s something in each and every character that makes you really want to see them succeed. It’s interesting that the player learns about the character as you do.” Since every player is constantly considering their character’s perspective, they uniquely understand and then act on the character’s motivations and desires. “In isolation, each character has such a strong story arc, when combined with these epic yet unscripted overarching stories, it’s really incredible.” Every player is singularly dedicated to creating, understanding, and exploring the nuance of the character they play.
Students were drawn by the worldbuilding of these shows. Critical Role is known for the dense lore that shapes the world of Exandria, the setting for three long-running campaigns. “I don’t know how Matt Mercer [GM for Critical Role] does all the things he does, both in world-building and as a voice actor. I want to steal his worlds and his vocal cords.” Whereas the in-depth history and magical mythos might bog down another show, it can be exciting to actual play audiences. When a player manages to ask the just-right question, anticipation for a “lore dump” is palatable.
Beyond the draw of the storytelling, almost half the students interviewed used the exact word, “shenanigans’ ‘ to describe what they loved about the dynamic of these shows. The fictional world building is complemented with the interactions of the actual players, ‘above board,’ joking about and reacting to the story as it unfolds for their characters. Within the game, characters are constantly seeking creative, if illogical solutions, such as using the ability to summon horses to then create a horse staircase or reacting to being threatened by disguising yourself as the person threatening you.
To an outside spectator, they might be dismissed as a distracted audience. Eight of the ten participants said they would often multitask while watching actual play, and the majority of these participants said they were often working on a specific hobby, such as drawing, whittling, knitting, or crocheting. “You can be doing something else, and it doesn’t detract from either activity.” Instead, many said they struggled to pay attention with most shows, including actual play. “If I don’t have something to do with my hands, I’ll get distracted by something else.”
The format of actual play makes it uniquely suited to this mobile audience. Audio description is a key part of the show format because these shows focus on tabletop roleplay. The GM and the players are continuously describing and narrating the actions of their own characters as well as the NPCs (non-player characters) who populate the setting. Though the cast often act out their characters reactions or mime their actions, the majority of the action by the fictional characters is narrated. From the perspective of someone who struggles to stay focused, these shows make the viewer attentive, but they don’t demand monopoly over their focus in the way that others might.
Since the audience for these shows is relatively niche, students expressed that they found it hard to find other people who knew about or could be persuaded to watch these shows. At Wellesley however, students were excited by the experience of finding other people, live and in-person who watched actual play. “I’ve made so many new friends who are D&D nerds. I’ve been surprised to find how many people know/watch these shows when they come up in casual conversation.” Four students expressed that in the past, they struggled to convince their friends to even try to watch a show when each episode was multiple hours. “It’s been very exciting to find people who have also sold their soul to the funny game, math rock people [a reference to the polyhedral array of dice used for D&D], and especially the time commitment of the shows.” For students who were caught up on specific shows, they were especially excited to discuss recent events in person. One student especially looked forward to a specific weekly org meeting that occurred the day after the weekly episode of Dimension20 was released. They could talk to the other students they knew in the org who were caught up as well. “There’s always a sense of community in sharing a love for any given media. Because this is a lot more niche compared to any given media, it is extra satisfying to find other people who love it.”
Since coming to Wellesley, one student shared that they had projected actual play episodes in their room to watch with friends. At one point, students organized a small watch party through a D&D discord server for the new animated show, The Legend of Vox Machina, based on the first campaign from Critical Role. The recognition of a new Wellesley D&D org is also likely to increase interest and knowledge about tabletop role play and actual play shows. Though relatively niche, you might be surprised by where else you can find an audience for actual play. Or you can just go on Twitter on Thursday evenings, keep a lookout for Critical Role or the name Hell’s Bells, I can almost guarantee that the fanbase has something trending.