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The Reach of Tabletop Gaming

Since I started playing tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) in 2020, specifically Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, I have played with several different groups from various backgrounds. The one thing that became apparent is how broad the reach and appeal of tabletop gaming is.

I have had several different groups over the four years I have been playing—some lasting several years, and others only for one session. My first group consisted of my roommates in college because we were locked down due to COVID-19 and needed something to pass the time.

Whether it’s a game you start with your family, with a close group of friends (as I did), or even with a group of complete strangers at a game store, there is a connection made from playing these games, promoting inclusion and bonding.

1. The Reach of Tabletop Gaming
2. Getting Started
3. Materials
4. Dungeon Master or Player?
5. Different Systems for Playing
6. Some Great Online Starter Resources
7. Free Content for Your First Session
8. Just Have Fun
9. A Question for You

Getting Started

I’d like to give a quick brief to people who may have never played any tabletop roleplaying games before but are interested.

With how popular tabletop games have gotten in recent years, there are endless online resources to fully start and run a session on the same day.

I learned the systems and rules of Dungeons & Dragons exclusively through online resources, which helped me run my first session as a dungeon master. The dungeon master (or DM) is the player who pushes the story forward and facilitates the game, while the other players react and collaboratively work with the DM in storytelling.

Materials

The only thing you need to start playing a TTRPG is a pen, paper, and an internet connection.

While collecting different books, dice, and miniatures is a hobby in itself, you can play almost any TTRPG with just pen, paper, and an internet connection.

You can find almost all PDFs of any TTRPG you want to try (but it’s always encouraged to support the creators by purchasing their products once you’ve tried them!). Also, rolling dice is as easy as clicking a button using Google.

There are also sites such as Roll20 where you can play out whole sessions online and use virtual gaming boards to run your sessions!

Dungeon Master or Player?

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If you’re starting a game with friends, for example, you’ll need to decide who will be the DM and who will be the players. Usually, the dungeon master will be the person most interested and invested in learning about the system of play you all choose to use.

Although the DM may need to know the rules slightly more than the players, having a good knowledge of the rules is still very helpful for everyone at the table.

Different Systems for Playing

Dungeons & Dragons is probably the most streamlined and easy tabletop RPG to learn, especially 5th edition (5e). So, this is what I would suggest to most newcomers to start with, as it also has the most publicly available online resources.

However, if you’re not feeling Dungeons & Dragons or if you know another system that your friends play, you can almost always find PDFs for the player handbooks for these systems (For example, Blades in the Dark is a gritty heist RPG).

Another option is adapting different modules (the quests or stories that you play) to different systems of play. This is usually what more advanced Dungeon Masters do, although if you have the drive, feel free to go for it.

Some Great Online Starter Resources

One of the most overwhelming aspects of starting a game is learning the rules of the system you choose, and one of the best resources for learning them is YouTube, such as this video from “JoCat“.

There are thousands of great creators explaining and breaking down the basics of many different systems of play.

What may seem overwhelming and complicated at first can be broken down into bite-sized videos for easier understanding.

Free Content for Your First Session

Now that you understand the basics of the rules, it’s time to run your first session—whether as the dungeon master or a player. To do this, I suggest running a shorter and more railroaded story for your first session.

One option for this is free online modules that are typically run as “one-shots”. These are bite-sized modules that can usually be completed in one sitting after a few hours of playing.

Here are 36 free adventures you could run for one of your first sessions with your group.

Just Have Fun

Lastly, remember to have fun with your group while playing. Especially for DMs, it can be easy to burn out with prepping sessions and planning for hours and hours.

If need be, just step back and remember that you started playing because you saw it on TV or knew someone else who brought you in, and you thought it would be a fun hobby!

With that, I will leave my first post finished. It’s a bit messy, and I hope to learn more as I continue to post, but to anyone reading, I hope you could at least learn one thing from the post. With that, I’ll pose a question in case this post resonates with readers in the future.

Also a huge thank you for reading and please provide some feedback on the post!

A Question for You

How did you originally get interested in tabletop RPGs, and what was your first step in researching that interest?