Weekly D&D Actual Play Launches on GeekDad

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Dungeons & Dragons actual play live streaming is here!

Introducing DieRolling – the proud new partner of the GeekFamilyNetwork.

Foreword

“For so many of us at GeekDad, gaming is at the core of our geek identity. How many great stories have been told around tables over the years when gaming groups get together to adventure? So, it’s with great excitement that we get to share some of those stories with our readers in real-time with DieRolling, a weekly live-streamed RPG session from the UK. We hope you’ll enjoy watching and engaging in the story as it unfolds before your eyes!”

Ken Denmead, GeekDad.com

What is ‘D&D Actual Play’?

In short, a Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) actual play is a video or audio recording of a group of friends playing D&D and broadcasting it to the internet.

Why is D&D so popular?

Dungeons & Dragons is no longer a game played solely by sweaty recluses, in basements, on graph paper (though there are still thousands of us who fit this description well). Rather, society and technology have converged to create a truly inclusive, accessible way for millions to enjoy the now pseudo-mainstream phenomenon that is a D&D actual play.

Four major driving forces that created the D&D actual play boom:

1. The release of arguably the most approachable roleplaying game ever: Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5e).
2. The rise of live streaming gaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube Gaming, enabled by ever-improving upload speeds and affordable, high-performance computer specifications, meant almost anybody could pick up a webcam and scratch that writing/acting itch by creating their own story.
3. The rise of social media, helping to breed a massive cultural paradigm shift, accelerating the empowerment and acceptance of misfits, introverts, and minorities worldwide.
4. Fantasy hitting the mainstream: Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter becoming blockbuster successes, Skyrim, A Game of Thrones. 30 years ago fantasy was reserved for nerds with beards. Not anymore (although of course, beards are still welcome).

What is DieRolling?

You are just in time to join The Star Engine: a brand new D&D 5E, chaotic, fantasy homebrew epic, in the hostile lands of Asha – where magic is outlawed under Elven rule, and much of the world is unexplored.

Watch the trailer for The Star Engine below:

DieRolling is a group of six friends from the South West of England, the home of Cheddar cheese, proper cider, and the ‘drunk farmer accent‘ that most dungeon masters use when making an inebriated non-player character (NPC).

Jack Boyles | Dungeon Master

Jack is the creative and technical lead behind DieRolling and the writer of ‘The Star Engine’. Jack is a videographer, marketer, tabletop gamer, drummer, and married father of two future dungeon masters!

Joshua Ogilvie | Claero | Half-Elf Necromancer

Joshua: TV and film buff, dog-lover, and engineer. He is engaged to both his lovely fiancé and his lovely red sports car.

Claero: Troubled half-elf, struggling to understand the dark voices that he has been hearing, voices which seem to grant him his newly discovered necromantic power.

Richard Robinson | Xolen | Gnome Alchemist

Richard: Likes 3D modeling, Divinity: Original Sin, robots and collecting apple stickers.

Xolen: Fearful of most things in the hostile world of Asha. Far from his home on Fourth Little Hill, Xolen is alien and acerbic, but unendingly resourceful.

Carl Lewis | Thoronir Bluelock | Wood Elf Druid

Carl: Can play every instrument (really well), artist, visual designer, cactus owner, and horror lover.

Thoronir: Never leaving the forests, Thoronir is naive and childlike in his wonder, yet is a versatile druid. His youthful exuberance masks his greatest purpose.

Oliver Severn | Nolus Qashara | Sea Elf Tempest Cleric

Oliver: Experienced ‘DnD’er’, PhD microbiologist, aspiring brewer, youth group leader, and avid reader. Carries a certain ‘supply-teacher chic’.

Nolus: Believes he is ‘storm touched’ by his goddess Celeste and destined to become the storm lord of the Sea Elves. He possesses both arrogance and innocence. Nolus will tackle any problem head-on, in his quest to prove his bravery to Celeste.

Stuart Thomas | Malken Lowborn | Human Monk

Stuart: Beardy, ex-barman of Bugman’s Brewery (Warhammer World), professional miniature painter – formerly of Eavy Metal (Check out his bronze medal at the Golden Demon awards)

Malken: Ex-soldier, turned pacifist monk after years of reflection and study. Haunted by the ghosts of his past, searching for some type of meaning from his life.

What is the format?

DieRolling will be broadcasting live, every Tuesday on twitch.tv/geekfamilynetwork and embedded weekly on GeekDad.com (as below), reruns will be uploaded to YouTube. Follow now and turn on notifications for a reminder! Timezones below:

• 11:30 PDT (West Coast USA)
• 15:30 EDT (East Coast USA)
• 19:30 GMT+1 (UK)

Watch D&D Live

Not live yet? Follow and turn on notifications to be reminded when DieRolling goes live!

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