D&D Renaissance and Questing Beast

posted in: Art, Fun, Fun and Games | 2

After 2020 so far, I feel like we all want to retreat to a fantasy world.

I’m writing this before Election Day, and, I’m sure, well before we know the outcome of the election itself. I hope that it’s a very definitive result, but, I think a lot of us are braced for it all to be a long, drawn-out process. Combine that political insanity with the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions and, well, it’s no surprise that fantasy role-playing games are enjoying a resurgence. And, of course, the great-grand-daddy of role-playing games is Dungeons and Dragons. I haven’t played myself in at least thirty years, but I do own a LOT of the game books. I keep them around for the inspiration they give me and the ways they spark my imagination, though I understand that, somehow, playing D&D has become cool again, with famous actors and Hollywood people playing. In any case, those strange circumstances have brought about a surprising amount of new interest in the game and resources to play. All of that brings me to a post on Boing Boing by Gareth Branwyn about a podcast reviewing FRPG zines. The podcast is on YouTube and is called “Questing Beast” and their channel has all kinds of video podcasts about fantasy role-playing games, but in particular D&D in various forms. Look, like anything, some of these are better than others, but they’re mostly fun if you’re into the game, or if you’re interested in getting back into the game. And, obviously, they’re super into role-playing games, so they’re ultra sincere about the reviews and so on. Oh, and there are a bunch of different “channels” that are part of Questing Beast, each with their own quirks and themes.

Anyway, if you have any interest in this subject at all, I hope this podcast gives you a little bit of distraction from the flaming dumpster fire that has been 2020!

2 Responses

  1. I agree, 2020 was a crazy year. Being able to just get our minds off all the chaos for a while can be refreshing. With more and more people staying home so many new hobbies and games have been picked up. D&D being one of them. It’s always great seeing more people join the community. As you may know, it can seem difficult at first but with the right resources anyone can play. If you know anyone trying to get started here’s a very helpful guide: https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2020/12/comprehensive-dnd-beginners-guide.html

  2. J. K. Hoffman

    Normally, I discourage advertising on my site that isn’t mine, but this actually looks like a good resource for people starting out. I haven’t played in years, mostly due to time, but anyone looking to start could do worse than start at this site!

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