Get in, role players, we’re tabletop gaming
Jan 26, 2024 – [[read-time]] minute read
“The shop is completely empty until, with a terrifying BANG, a door that none of you even saw at the back of the room flies open. Six figures in long, black cloaks hurry past. They’re wearing plague masks and you all immediately recognize them as spirit wardens.”
That’s not a line from a book, TV show or even the latest movie. It’s from this tabletop role playing game about five strangers who are pulled into a life of crime in a haunted city.
Tabletop role playing games (TTRPG) are collaborative games played around a table (or virtually) and based on interactions between players. The “game master” commands the narrative as the game unfolds, providing the details and commentary to help the group visualize the storyline. Participants create players, then play by describing their characters’ actions and replies. Dice rolls and a set of rules are what make this a game — they determine the outcome of actions, which can be laughable at times.
Tabletop role playing games have been around for decades — one of the first and most well known of these, Dungeons & Dragons, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. To mark this milestone, we took a moment to celebrate the creators, artists, game masters, players and fans who make up the TTRPG community on YouTube in this original video and with today’s Yoodle (temporary YouTube logo).
YouTube has provided a platform for TTRPG creators to bring these immersive experiences to viewers around the world, with no experience needed or direct participation. In fact, there were over 300M views of videos related to the topic of tabletop roleplaying games in 2023.1
There were over 300M views of videos related to the topic of tabletop roleplaying games in 2023.
If you’re just getting into TTRPGs, diving right in with a hyper-long game session, like this one of Call of Cthulhu (part one of three) allows you to see how lengthy these games can be and the unexpected twists they take along the way. If you’d like to go beyond watching and move into participating, here are some tips to help you get into role playing, including how to find a group and make your first character. Unsure of what game you want to try? The creator community has plenty of recommendations, including ones for Blades in the Dark and Kids on Bikes.
Ready to take a seat at the table? Head over to our playlist to get started.
- Source: YouTube Data, Global, Jan - Nov 2023.
