Really? no, Really?

The 50-year Dungeons & Dragons Phenomenon Explained!

Sep 17, 2024

39:54

Dungeons & Dragons, the legendary tabletop role-playing game featuring elves, dwarves, wizards, fighters, and legions of nerds is currently observing… its 50th anniversary! Really, no Really!

Over the five decades, the game has had its fair share of infamy with stories of “Satanic panic” and more recently, a resurgence after being featured on Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” But what is this game really about? And how can it be more popular than ever after 5 decades?

Jason and Peter, after much needling from the self -identified nerds on their production staff (and Jason’s son who is a proud Dungeon Master) bravely walked into the never-known realms of D&D with one of the game’s quintessential experts... Jon Peterson, who studies the history of games, especially tabletop role-playing games and wargames. His first book has just been re-released as “Playing at the World, 2E, Volume 1: The Invention of Dungeons & Dragons” which has been called "the first serious history of the development of Dungeons & Dragons" by the Village Voice.

IN THIS EPISODE:

A painless and fun history of Role-Playing Games.
D&D is an improvisational-collaborative- storytelling experience.
What’s a Dungeon Master and does it involve black latex, mouth gags and whips?
What’s the point of a game with no “winning”?
Breaking down D&D to understand its appeal.
Wait… watching other people livestream D&D is a multimillion-dollar thing?
Why D&D has become popular in prisons, on death row and in solitary confinement?
Is D&D a game or a lifestyle choice?
D&D’s ongoing controversies.
How should a novice approach starting to play D&D?
How A.I. and other technology will affect the future of D&D.