Let's face it: It can be daunting to get into most of the long-running, popular real-life theater shows, like Critical Role or Dimension 20's Fantasy High setting. A lot of it revolves around Time.
Compared to the other narrative stuff you can stream to your TV, each actual play session is long. Just like most people's RPG sessions, they can last two, three, or even four hours. A campaign arc can span dozens of episodes, allowing a single story arc to rival the length of several television seasons combined – even the luxurious 20+ episode television seasons of the day.
Even when you have so much time to invest in entertainment, it can still be intimidating to watch a show that already has several wikis full of backstory and a huge fan base that has soaked it all up. Some of the most established real-life theater shows have years of interconnected fictional histories. Given this time and brain investment, it can feel a lot easier to engage in something else during your limited TV time.
Time and mental strain are certainly the reason it took me until 2023 to watch Dropout's blockbuster series Dimension 20regularly (but not always) hosted by game director Brennan Lee Mulligan for a group of (usually) improv comedians who use the rules of Dungeons & Dragons. Even as a fan of Dropout's comedy shows and a big fan of tabletop RPGs and real play podcasts, I wasn't sure where to start. Time commitment is also the biggest hurdle that my TTRPG-friendly, already-fun-loving Dropout friends present when I tell them there is one D20 Season they would really like: “Two and a half hours? This is my entire evening.”
But here's how Dimension 20 really captivated me: Mulligan and his team are fully committed to the anthology format. With D20All you really have to do is pick a genre and there's a standalone season waiting to captivate you.
Image: Dropouts
I started Dimension 20 in the usual TV show fashion, by watching from the beginning. But with only a few early seasons under my belt, I followed the siren song of social media clips and skipped a full twelve seasons to Neverafter, the 2022-2023 season that was airing at the time. Since then, I've taken the liberty of jumping to whatever season I like from the low-combat, magical Regency love story of A court of fairies and flowers to the bloody medieval drama of A crown of candy. Sometimes I just skipped to the seasons with the artists I most wanted to see more of.
Dimension 20 shakes things up from season to season by changing the genre, cast of actors, and gameplay system. The seasons also vary in running time, alternating between “full” seasons of around 20 episodes and shorter seasons of four to ten episodes. Don't have the stomach for a show that already has 50+ hours of backstory? Relax – you can just watch a one-off 12-hour season that is essentially “From the inside outbut silly film noir.” You’re not really excited about the current season? No worries; There will be another one in a few months, and it will almost certainly be very different.
In a media landscape dominated by sequels and lore dumps, Dimension 20The book's anthology format allows it to find the magical middle ground between familiarity and variety. The show offers both length and manageable brevity. Deep storytelling to immerse yourself in And the opportunity to try things out.
Curious about which season you should personally start with? Choose your genre and check out this quick overview of some of Polygon's most popular standalone games Dimension 20 Seasons:
Season 15, A court of fairies and flowers: Regency-era romance set in an extravagant fairy court, with a low-combat adaptation of the D&D rules that includes regular rounds of scandalous letter-writing. For the kind of person who screams and hugs a pillow when the male lead in a tie finally confesses his love – or has his chances completely ruined by inevitable misunderstandings.
Season 16, Never after that: Fairytale heroes like Little Red Riding Hood and Puss in Boots become aware of their own fictional condition in a world of creeping fear. For fans of folklore and existential horror.
Season 17, The predatory war: Share a setting with Dimension 20'S Crown of candy However, this short season is completely self-contained and intended for those who wish House of the Dragon I had more jokes and also wished each one was made of food.
Season 18, Dungeons and drag queens: classic Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy, played by four stars of RuPaul's Drag Race over four short and sweet episodes. For everyone who is new D&D yourself and especially for Drag Race fans.
Season 19, menthol: A film noir parody in which each character represents a different aspect of a stressed-out scientist's mind and tries to help him get through a very eventful day. For people who think too much about the implications From the inside out.
Season 22, Never stop exploding: Jumanji And Last action hero Combine it with a streamlined RPG system that has completely ignored balance. For anyone who enjoys watching an 80s action movie turned up until the button breaks.
Dimension 20 airs on Dropout.tv.
