The best places for tabletop RPG entertainment

If you are visiting this website there is a likely chance that you are a fan of role playing games. You know, those games that place you in a different interesting world in which you play a character that you can level up and completes quests for a bunch of NPCs. However, once upon a time RPGs were not played with a controller in your hand and a TV in front of you. Instead you gathered round a table with a few friends and rolled dice to determine the outcomes of situations. Games like, Dungeons and Dragons, and Pathfinder have always been popular and if you are at all interested in playing I would definitely recommend it, it’s a lot of fun indeed. However, it can be difficult setting up a game, getting all of the books and dice you need can be pricey and since one session can take up to three hours it is certainly time consuming. So how do you scratch the pen and paper RPG itch until you can play a game for yourself? In recent years we’ve been seeing many online creators embracing table top RPGs for our entertainment. With this in mind here are three great RPG shows to watch and listen to for free that will calm that urge to play RPG until the right time comes round.

Titansgrave

Let’s start with the show that got me into tabletop RPGs. Titansgrave is run by actor and self-confessed nerd Wil Weaton, he created the world of Valkana and the story arc the adventures undertake. What’s particularly special about this game is it’s Sci/Fantasy setting. Technology, although somewhat crude, works in conjunction with magic in this world which opens up a range of possibilities when playing the game and we see this in the show. This is also where the story comes in, the adventurers much work together to take down the evil Prophet Dhawan who believes magic and tech should not be used in collaboration. It’s a fairly standard good vs evil plot but the sci/fantasy setting gives it a nice twist. The show is really well produced with HD cameras and art work that helps visualise the world Wheaton has created. Titansgrave can be found on the Geek and Sundry YouTube channel, season one is over but I believe a second season will be released in the near future.

The Adventure Zone

The Adventure Zone is certainly the funniest of these three shows as it stars the McElroy family from the comedy podcast My Brother, My Brother and Me. This show is also a podcast that has the youngest of the brothers, Griffin, act as DM while his two siblings and dad play the role of adventurers. Due to their comedy background they don’t take the game too seriously and are always making jokes resulting and a very funny show that makes you struggle to not burst out laughing in public. The fantasy game is accompanied by charming, memorable NPC and fantastic music that all created from the youngest McElroy’s mind. The Adventure Zone can be listened to by going to the podcast section in iTunes or at Maximumfun.com.

Critical Role

Critical Role is another RPG project from Geek and Sundry that is streamed every Thursday on Twitch. The cast is fully made up of voice actors, some of which include, Matthew Mercer (who is the DM), Laura Bailey and Sam Riegel. Because of this, they are all extremely dedicated when it comes to role playing. Mercer can jump from NPC to NPC with ease and make it work, while the others completely embody their characters, making them believable and three-dimensional. Part of what makes this series so good is not just the epic home brewed campaign by Mercer but the inner conflicts between the band of adventurers. They do not always agree on how to tackle certain situations which makes for entertaining drama in a traditional fantasy setting. If you are willing to stay up till the ungodly hour of 2AM then you can watch Critical Role every Thursday on Geek and Sundry’s Twitch channel, otherwise you can watch it when it is uploaded to YouTube a few days later.

I hope you enjoy the shows and if you do find the time I strongly encourage you to get into playing a tabletop RPG. It makes for great social interactions and can give you many fond memories of adventuring with friends.