Hey there and welcome to I Am Your Target Demographic. Now today we're talking about
Dungeons and Dragons. I've already done some videos about Dungeons and Dragons:
I have a history, kind of "What is Dungeons and Dragons?" video, then I also have videos
about hobby, you know, the hobby aspect. So painting, miniatures, things like that,
but I've never really covered who would like Dungeons and Dragons. So this video is what I
wish someone showed me when I was much younger, because I was fairly older when I discovered it.
So this video is going to walk you through who this game is for, would you like it,
would you not like it, so let's dive in... Who would like playing Dungeons and Dragons?
Now before we dive in, I have to put a disclaimer. We're going
to use the brand name Dungeons and Dragons a lot, or shortened to D&D,
but this is really good for any sort of tabletop roleplaying game. So if you're
considering a game that isn't D&D, but it's also fantasy or it's a sci-fi tabletop RPG,
the same tenets here that we're talking about are going to apply. So would you like games like that?
It’s also important to have a really broad understanding of what D&D,
or other tabletop games, are really about. If you like board games or like video games,
you’re just a few notches away. These games are roleplaying games, meaning you control a character
and play as them. You might create your own, if you want to personalize the role you’re playing,
or oftentimes you can pick a pre-created character that somewhat fits your interest.
You and a small group of other folks are going to go on an adventure, led by another individual
called a Dungeon Master, or shortened to DM. In non-D&D games, this is likely Game Master or GM.
This person knows what they’re doing. They’ve crafted this adventure and they’ll be the one
explaining your settings, roleplaying as both your enemies and what are called non-playable
characters you run across, and making judgment calls on how the story goes.
Even though they’re controlling the enemies, they're not trying to beat you. They're trying
to create an adventure, a story for you to experience. So don't see it as the DM
versus the players, but really the DM is just making decisions on behalf of the bad guys.
If you’re new to D&D, this Dungeon Master won’t be you,
so don't worry. But you will need to find a DM who can run a game for you
or find a preexisting adventure that is looking for some new characters to join.
The story that this person is weaving can look different based on their preferences.
Some are what’s called “theatre of the mind.” The DM will explain and tell you
about the locations you’re in and it’s all in your head, there’s nothing physical.
This requires very little but the DM should be really great at describing things for the
players. If it’s helpful, some DMs use minimal physical pieces, like a grid, to help show you
where your characters are. If you’re right next to an enemy, maybe that changes what you’ll want
to do when your turn comes, so it’s helpful to see the battlefield a little bit. If you’re like me,
you can also go all-in on miniatures and terrain, so your players can see the entire world laid out.
They see their character, they see the enemies, as well as anything useful. Oh, is that a chest
there? Can I open it? Some groups also play entirely virtual, so you might find a game online
that you can join, either using theatre of the mind, or maybe a camera for physical miniatures,
or even ‘virtual tabletops’ that use icons and pictures to represent the battlefield.
Now regardless of how detailed your game is, it's up to you as a player to decide what to do next.
How do you problem solve, how do you approach these situations laid out in front of you.
Do you want to strategize before taking on your enemies or do you want to charge right in? Do you
want to ask the villagers about the threat or head straight to the mayor's house to confront them?
It may be hard for you to imagine at first but you get to decide what to do. If you're a new player,
hopefully your DM can help you by giving you some clues and tips. Your character sees a chest in
the corner, it might be open if you want to go try. You see a rope connected to the chandelier,
looks like one quick cut could probably drop the entire chandelier down onto the goblins.
So now that you have a general idea what the game is, would you like playing?
A common entrypoint to D&D is a love for other things in the fantasy genre. If you love Lord
of the Rings for example, it’s natural to want to put yourselves in those scenarios. I want to be
an archer like Legolas. The archtypes in popular fantasy often match up in D&D. A ranger with a
mysterious past. A halfling with a love for poems and singing. If you know what sort of character
resonates with you, you can create a version of that and take them out on brand new adventures.
It's also natural for theatre kids to love D&D or anyone that really
finds themselves a natural performer. Not everyone roleplays to the same extent,
but people who love doing theatre might find it really fun to create these characters.
You can do voices and mannerisms while playing them, though it’s absolutely not required if
you’re a little shy about that. But some folks love this chance to try out new characters.
In the same vein, some people just want to escape.
It might take a weight off, if you can live in someone else’s world for a little bit. When
you’re focused on your elven archer and their quest for revenge, it’s easy to forget problems
in the real world. So escapists might especially love this chance to indulge in a new adventure.
And as you can see from all these miniatures I'm showing you,
some people just love to paint and craft and those people might love D&D.
Painting these models is especially fun for me, and it’s really rewarding to see
them come to life in a tabletop scenario. So people that are artists might want to
be a player but they also might want to gravitate towards being a Dungeon Master,
so they know what miniatures and terrain they might need to create before a given adventure.
And like I kind of mentioned earlier, people that love games, board games
or video games, might also really like D&D. Whether you like physical board games that look
like how a tabletop game might look, or you prefer video games that are loaded with stats and gear,
these are surprisingly close to the D&D experience. You can choose skills and bump
up your stat numbers, while looking for the best gear and the biggest perks. You might
already like heavy RPGs in another medium, so playing D&D might be surprisingly similar.
Even folks that love strategy games, even classic games like Chess, might find D&D to scratch that
itch. You have to problem solve, you have to think carefully about your moves and choices.
If you would enjoy a tactical and strategic experience, D&D might work for you too.
So let's say you listened to that list and you nodded at least once. You said,
"Yep that's me." What do you do now? What's first? How do you start?
My first step into D&D was listening to podcasts. Two recommendations for new folks,
I'd say either the McElroy brothers, a comedy trio of three actual brothers,
they run a show called The Adventure Zone and I'd go start at episode one. They are learning
the game at that point too so it feels really approachable and yet also pretty hilarious.
Another comedy group tackling D&D is called Not Another D&D Podcast,
a group of former CollegeHumor talent. Again, start at episode one or zero if that's an option.
Both of these are light-hearted, very slim on rules, and can help you understand the tone and
what the game is like. And once you decide that you want to play, put out feelers. You never
know who is already in your social circle that might have a lead. They might be part of a game,
they might be interested in starting one, they might want to learn with
you. So start talking to people and put out those feelers. You can look for a campaign,
which is multiple sessions, or you can look for a one shot to join, meaning that it's just one
night and it's over and done. And remember if you can't find one in-person, you can consider
joining a virtual group online, so it might match up with your interests or your schedule.
So hopefully this helped you determine if this is something that might be up your alley. There's a
lot of different people that come to D&D for a lot of different reasons, but they all find
themselves at that table. So I know I love it. If you love it, tell me down in the comments why,
what do you like about D&D, what are the thrilling adventures you've had? And if you're interested,
put out feelers, maybe there's someone that has a virtual group that you can look into.
So thanks for watching and we'll see you next time!