Dimension 20 broke all the actual play rules to become the best D&D show around
To say the world of tabletop actual play has exploded in the past 10 years would be an understatement — from Critical Role to The Adventure Zone to Dungeons & Daddies (to name a few), there’s no shortage of shows and podcasts out there for Dungeons & Dragonsenthusiasts to get their role-playing fix. But among the countless brilliant actual play shows out there, there’s one that stands out due to its creative storytelling and welcome environment for players and listeners new to Dungeons & Dragons: Dropout’s Dimension 20, an actual play series unlike any other.
Having already produced a staggering 19 seasons (and with a newly announced 20th installment on the way), it’s almost impossible to believe Dimension 20 is only just turning 5 years old. Created by Brennan Lee Mulligan (who also serves as one of the show’s game masters), Dimension 20 was first envisioned as a long-form series that could serve as a flagship show on CollegeHumor’s then-new platform, Dropout. The concept? Combining improv comedy with Dungeons & Dragons— a deceptively simple idea that bridged what CollegeHumor was known for with Mulligan’s long-standing affinity for tabletop role-playing.
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But while “comedians playing Dungeons & Dragons” hardly sounds groundbreaking, the resulting series was an electric, unpredictable, and thoroughly charming first outing: Fantasy High, sold as “John Hughes meets D&D,” a coming-of-age story about an unlikely gaggle of teenagers attending the fantastical Aguefort Adventuring Academy. Despite varying degrees of familiarity with the game among the “Intrepid Heroes” (Brian Murphy runs an actual play podcast of his own, while Ally Beardsley had no experience with D&Dprior to their time on D20), the infectious
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