Dimension 20: Where To Start Watching, According To Fans
It's never been a better time to be a fan of tabletop role-playing games. Over the past several years, titles like "Dungeons and Dragons" have exploded in popularity, no longer relegated to the fringes of nerd culture. That surge in interest has largely been driven by the emergence of "actual play" podcasts like "Critical Role," but the hot new "D&D" series on the block is "Dimension 20." Produced by Dropout (the company formerly known as College Humor), the show is hosted primarily by comedian Brennan Lee Mulligan and features talented cast members, many of whom are also improv trained. The inclusive atmosphere of "Dimension 20" has also endeared fans and kept them coming back for more.
"Dimension 20" has grown a lot over the past several years and has been churning out an increasing number of new campaigns to keep up with fan demand. New dungeon masters, such as Aabria Iyengar, Gabe Hicks, and even Matthew Mercer of "Critical Role" fame, have also joined as the franchise expands. This year alone, four new campaigns were released on the Dropout streaming service: "The Ravening War," "Dungeons and Drag Queens," "Mentopolis," and "Burrow's End."
With so much content, it can be daunting to dive into "Dimension 20," especially since plenty of episodes stretch to the length of a Martin Scorsese movie. Luckily, the fan community around the series is enthusiastic about helping newcomers get their bearings, and they've offered plenty of helpful advice regarding where to start watching. On the "Dimension 20" Reddit community, most commenters recommend taking things from the top with the first campaign, "Fantasy High: Freshman Year." u/pootinontheritz wrote, "Just start at the very beginning. A very good place to start."
Dimension 20 fans think Fantasy High is the best campaign for newcomers
The majority of "Dimension 20" fans on Reddit think the best place to dive into Dropout's popular "Dungeons and Dragons"-based show is its very first campaign, "Fantasy High: Freshman Year." One fan, u/black-dandelion, laid out the reasons to start there, noting that it's a great season for those without much "D&D" experience to get a sense of the rules since members of the cast were new to the game as well. They added, "Also, Fantasy High is so much fun, and there are inside jokes and shout-outs to that and other seasons in almost every newer season." In other words, starting there means you won't miss out on anything in later campaigns. On top of that, the campaign is free to watch on YouTube, making it a good entry point for those hesitant about subscribing to Dropout.
Still, other fans have their own suggestions for those who don't need a crash course on the intricacies of "Dungeons & Dragons" or want something different than the high school setting of "Fantasy High." u/Frostguard11 suggested "Escape from the Bloodkeep" for fans of "Critical Role" since Matthew Mercer is a player in that campaign. "It's a campaign parodying the end of Lord of the Rings from the perspective of the bad guys," they wrote, "and it's surprisingly wholesome." Meanwhile, u/revsgirl27 said they had become a fan after watching "The Unsleeping City," a choice several others echoed.