Here’s the deal.  Although tabletop role-playing games grew in popularity during the 80s and 90s, the realm of role-playing games began to expand more in the video game industry during the mid-90s and began to dominate nerd culture in the 2000s.  Released in 1994, The Elder Scrolls: Arena became the first game in the hit fantasy RPG series The Elder Scrolls.  The series reached the height of its popularity with the 2011 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which brought the series to an even wider audience, introducing a whole new set of people to RPGs.  But what did this mean for tabletop gaming?

With the advent of RPG video games, it became easier for players to truly immerse themselves in a fictional world, one in which they did not have to put the same amount of time designing as with those of tabletop RPGs.  Besides the ability to jump right into a video game, this new media gave players a stronger visual component, which has only grown more impressive as time as gone one.  One such game is Horizon Zero Dawn, an action role-playing game that boasts incredible graphics and an equally intriguing plot.  The old-fashioned tabletop games were beginning to show their age.

A screenshot from Horizon Zero Dawn which shows the kind of high-quality graphics typical of modern games. Picture by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

In response, two things occurred.  Tabletop RPGs began to revamp their systems, such as the fan favorite 3.5e D&D in 2000.  The games became less convoluted and complex.  The systems were more innovative and fun.  More material was released to aid DMs in creating their worlds.  All of these changes helped to keep the tabletop RPGs alive.  But, most importantly, these games made their way into the digital media as well.  Although games were made starting in 1988, the video game variants of D&D did not become as popular until 1998 with the release of Baldur’s Gate.

The cover of one of the Star Wars role-playing games. Cover and book by Fantasy Flight Games.

Within the last decade, tabletop role-playing games have experienced a resurgence in popularity, thanks in part to the industry’s actions to renovate the systems and stay relevant, but also due to a greater societal acceptance of the hobby into the mainstream culture.  As mentioned in an earlier post, the inclusion of Dungeons & Dragons on shows such as Community and Stranger Things has helped this process.  This reawakening of tabletop gaming is apparent through the rise of new games such as the Star Wars: Edge of the Empire role-playing game.  It’s an old series in an old style, but still new and widely popular.  It epitomizes the future of tabletop role-playing games, one that will continue to entertain fans for years to come.

When it comes to supplementary material for Dungeons and Dragons, one of the more recent additions to the lineup of books is Volo’s Guide to Monsters.  Released on November 15th of 2016, the book was an additional Monster Manual of sorts.  The Monster Manual is one of the three core books, which contains minor lore and information for use in the game on a plethora of different monsters.  Volo’s Guide to Monsters provides similar content, while also giving an in-depth look at nine different groups of monsters, as well as content for playing as new and different races for player characters.

The alternative cover to Volo’s Guide to Monsters, by Hydro74.

This addition to the list of supplementary material provided a much needed difference to the number of pre-made campaigns and singular book on lore for the Wizards of the Coast world of D&D.  Rather than providing content simply from the minds of the WotC development team, Volo’s Guide to Monsters gives players the ability to use the content as a base off of which they can build their own content for their individual games.  As such, this book sets itself apart from the rest as a true companion for any Dungeon Master, regardless of experience.

One of the best pieces Volo’s Guide to Monsters has to offer is the section on new player races for characters.  Not only does the ability to introduce new races give the DM more room for a diverse and interesting world, it also allows the players to branch out into creating characters to which they aren’t accustomed.  The combination of creativity given to both the DM and players enhances the experiences of all playing.  This experience is further deepened by the content on the different groups of monsters.  From the in-depth background and content for the monsters, the DM is given the ability to develop enemies for the players that are more detailed and thrilling.

The alternate cover to Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, by Hydro74.

Besides Volo’s Guide to Monsters, the latest supplementary material will hit the shelves on November 21st.  Xanathar’s Guide to Everything follows in the steps of Volo’s by focusing less on the established lore of the WotC world and more on providing DMs with the means to further develop their own.  It is described as “designed to enhance a D&D campaign and push it in new directions.”  With a new trend for supplementary material being more focused on providing tools and resources for the DM and players, 5e continues to be the most player-friendly edition of Dungeons and Dragons.

After weeks of talking about playing, my group finally reached a point where we weren’t bogged down with homework or exams.  And so, we were finally able to begin our campaign.  Taking place in a fantasy world which has reached a time period of technological advancement akin to the Victorian Era, my friends and I were dropped in the midst of a long war between two rival empires: a human one and a dwarven one.

Out of the six of us, three of us have previous experience playing Dungeons and Dragons.  The Dungeon Master and I are both familiar with the fifth edition, as we had played together in my own campaign and previously with several groups using third edition.  The last person with experience was new to fifth edition, but had a decent amount with the preceding fourth edition.  Thanks to our collective experience with Dungeons and Dragons, the new players were able to be introduced to the game mechanics relatively smoothly.

With papers and dice strewn across the table, the group was finished for the day. Photo by Ryan Salameda.

The success of the session, which lasted approximately four hours, lays not only in the hands of the Dungeon Master, but also in the hands of the players.  Despite our group being split on experience, the enthusiasm to play and learn from those new players ensured everyone had a fun time.  Each player made sure to be involved, although they were more hesitant to make decisions early on.  Specifically, the awkward beginning of each campaign.

Classically (and stereotypically), a campaign will start with a group of intrepid adventurers meeting in a bar.  It is a quick and easy way to explain how a random assortment of characters first meet.  But, in our case, the characters were invited to speak with a defense minister under the promise of gold.  This sort of start was different enough to be interesting, while also being a plausible way to explain how five adventurers from across the continent just so happened to get together.

An ettin, the two-headed giant. Drawing by Wizards of the Coast.

All in all, our first session was a great way to introduce friends to Dungeons and Dragons and relax after a stressful week.  We got involved in a secret mission for the human empire, fought a two-headed giant, and visited a naval airship yard.  But most importantly, we were able to have a fun time escaping from the growing monotony of dreary weather and midterm blues.