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Actual-play
| Synonyms: | Live Play |
| See also: | Dungeons and Dragons |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Actual-Play series, which often take the form of podcasts or webseries, are recorded Tabletop RPG campaigns. An actual-play series may focus on a long campaign or consist of a series of one-shots. Many long-running shows have completed multiple campaigns, sometimes branching out into different systems.
History
This article or section needs expansion. |
In 2008, the people behind Penny Arcade partnered with Wizards of the Coast to make a podcast out of several different Dungeons and Dragons 4th editions Modules, this would lead to the creation of the Acquisitions Incorporated podcast which, after pretty widespread positive reception would lead to the players beginning to live-stream the game live during PAX starting in 2010, 4 years later Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition would release, and another podcast would begin to broadcast called The Adventure Zone which would completely blow up in popularity on the internet (at least in fandom), a year later Critical Role would also begin to release on YouTube and Twitch, even further cementing the popularity of actual-plays and its rise into main-stream conscious.
On January 24, 2025 the actual-play show Dimension 20 held a sold-out live show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.[1] Playing to an audience of 20,000 fans, this show was heralded by many news publications and fans as a watershed moment for actual-play media's popularity.
Fan Involvement
- Tend to have a high involvement of fans in ‘canon’ ways or elsewhere in the text, due in part to the structure of the platforms sometimes used (Twitch) and in part as a way to raise interest and funds for the series. How does this impact fan culture?
- E.g. fans being able to comment live on Twitch, fans being able to send in messages and the like to be responded to by players in character that can inform the lore of the series (e.g. ‘Dear Uhuru’ letters in Campaign), fans being able to send in or vote on characters or lore to be canonized.
- A lot of cast members tend to actively interact with fans on Twitter and the like, which could also fit here
Impact on Tabletop Gaming
Actual-play series saw a large increase in popularity in the mid to late 2010s and introduced many fans to tabletop gaming. Many RPG fans consider the phenomena to be responsible for the increased mainstream interest in what was once considered a niche hobby.[2] Much of this interest is focused around the 5th edition of Dungeons and Dragons, which is played on some of the most popular series.
While actual-play has introduced new fans to the hobby, some long time RPG fans worry it may give them unrealistic expectations for what a typical game is like. This often comes up in relation to Critical Role, a series with high production values played by professional voice actors. Some GMs have received criticism from new players for their game not being like the show, resulting in the creation of the term, "The Matthew Mercer Effect," after the DM of the series.[3]
Examples
See also Category:Actual-Play Series.
References
- ^ Dimension 20 Raises A Banner For D&D At Madison Square Garden, by Rob Wieland on Forbes, Jan 27, 2025
- ^ Actual play RPG experiences like Critical Role, Adventure Zone are having a moment, by Charlie Hall on Polygon, Jul 9, 2018.
- ^ How do I beat the Matt Mercer effect?, by u/mister-builder on Reddit.