By Thomas Hindmarch Published Oct 3, 2026, 4:05 AM EDT Polygon Lists A step-by-step guide on how to spend 10 to 60 hours at a time
Photo: Kate Elliott/Dropout Sign in to your Polygon.com account Add Us Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap After performing for nearly 20,000 fans at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in January 2025, Dimension 20 cemented its status as one of the internet’s most popular tabletop live-play shows . But despite the show’s increasingly mainstream profile, figuring out where to start can still be intimidating. Most seasons require a paid subscription to either Dropout.tv or its YouTube channel, and the catalog now encompasses dozens of campaigns spread across several different tabletop systems.
That may sound like a lot, but that’s only because it is. Getting into any long-running actual-play series requires the sort of commitment usually reserved for sprawling anime franchises. Even D20’s longer campaigns are snack-sized compared to a single season of Critical Role , but you could still spend anywhere from five to 60 hours completing one story.
It’s natural to wonder where you should begin, particularly because D20’s original season is also the beginning of its longest-running campaign.
This guide is meant to help interested newcomers choose where to start . Not every D20 campaign is created equal, and even devoted fans commonly bounce off entire seasons. These six campaigns offer some of the best possible starting points, depending on exactly what you’re looking for.
Rekha Shankar, Matthew Mercer, and Amy Vorpahl play Escape From the Bloodkeep on Dimension 20 Escape from the Bloodkeep, Episode 1 (Dimension 20) GM : Brennan Lee Mulligan
Players : Erika Ishii, Matthew Mercer, Ify Nwadiwe, Rekha Shankar, Mike Trapp, Amy Vorpahl
Dimension 20 ’s second season remains one of its most accessible. It has a simple hook, runs for only six episodes, and is available to watch in full for free through D20’s official YouTube channel.
Escape From the Bloodkeep is an affectionate parody of The Lord of the Rings told from the villains’ perspective. When the Lord of Shadows is abruptly assassinated by the forces of good, his six closest advisers must decide what to do next. Should they continue their master’s mission, run for their lives, or switch sides entirely?
That premise sounds like a recipe for a much darker story. Instead, Bloodkeep becomes an ensemble workplace sitcom with a considerable body count. Many of its best jokes land precisely because they’re coming from performers who grew up loving Tolkien’s work. There are plenty of murders, but the resulting comedy is closer to slapstick than splatterpunk.
Bloodkeep is also an excellent watch for anyone interested in playing or running a tabletop role-playing game. One of its central lessons, particularly for aspiring game masters, is that you can never reliably predict what your players will do. Mulligan has discussed how dramatically the players’ choices changed his original plans for the campaign. Revealing exactly how would spoil the fun, but the result is a useful demonstration of a fundamental TTRPG principle: No matter how carefully you prepare, you will eventually have to make something up on the fly.
Image: Dropout TV GM : Brennan Lee Mulligan
Players : Ally Beardsley, Ify Nwadiwe, Isabell…