Everyone only really needs three things to start as a Dungeon Master or Game Master: a decent grasp of the game’s rules, dice, and imagination. To take it to the pro level, however, you’re going to need more–particularly in the tech department. That’s not to say that a professional GM needs an epic home studio like Critical Role. Like any career, you can start small and build up as you go. 

Roll20Con is a great time to get acquainted with the vast universe of tabletop RPGs. StartPlaying is partnered with Roll20 for the event, which runs November 12-14. The connected games, however, go from November 12-15. A lot of Roll20Con’s games are online one shots aimed at welcoming new players and helping lone players find a group to play with. Since so many people will be relative newbies, this makes Roll20Con a great event to sample a new TTRPG system. 

This week, Roll20 and StartPlaying are teaming up to introduce you to new TTRPGs and new D&D friends. Roll20Con will be underway from November 12-14 with previews, announcements, charity, and special online games run by professional GMs. With so much going on, we thought it would help to break it all down. Here’s everything you can do during Roll20Con 2021. 

It’s the season of fey thanks to Wild Beyond the Witchlight. We at StartPlaying have many silly Dungeon Masters who are eager to weave a Feywild tale with you, and maybe pull a few tricks along the way. The only regrettable thing about Witchlight is that it ends so quickly, only taking players to level 8. So to help you keep the fun going, we looked up some neat folklore and fairy tales from different cultures. Feel free to drop these into your Witchlight campaign as you like, or use them to start a brand new quest! 

Discord is one of the most powerful tools for running Dungeons & Dragons, or any TTRPG for that matter. It can even be your only tool, if you plan on running theatre of the mind battles or a system where combat isn’t involved at all. You can just make an account, send out invite links, and start a call. Like many tools, however, Discord has a lot of uses apart from its most obvious one. Here is how to level up your Discord from a simple call app to a thriving community hub.

The universes of TTRPG games offer a vast selection of cultures and histories to immerse yourself in. Some are seeped entirely in fiction, but often they draw from the civilizations and folklore of the real world. That’s why it’s important to give a voice to designers, artists, and players from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds. Diverse perspectives make for more inclusive games. So, to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we wanted to spotlight Latin-American and Hispanic creators that make the community better.

Many Dungeons & Dragons players want high level content, but Wizards of the Coast isn’t working on an endgame hardcover anytime soon. As many fans will point out, level 20 games are a different beast entirely. Player characters of higher levels have so many options and abilities that there is no universal adventure template capable of challenging them. DMs instead need to tailor the game to the specific characters.