Over the last decade, Dungeons and Dragons has seen a surge in popularity, in no small part due to its prominence in shows like Stranger Things and games like Baldur’s Gate 3. However, the advent of the TTRPG actual play has been a major contributing factor to its success as well. While there are plenty of great Dungeons and Dragons actual plays on the market, Dropout’s Dimension 20 is one of the most popular – and its recent sold-out live show at Madison Square Garden is proof of that.

The Best War Games recently talked to Dimension 20 executive producer, writer, and game master Brennan Lee Mulligan about the meteoric rise of not only Dungeons and Dragons and TTRPGs, but his own actual play. From the recent Gauntlet at the Garden live show in New York City to the upcoming Battle at the Bowl in Hollywood, Dimension 20 has seen unprecedented growth in popularity – growth that Mulligan is still trying to digest. The comedian shared some of his experiences along this journey and even gave a teaser for what fans can expect in the next live show.

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By Eric Law

The Critical Success of Dimension 20

‘It’s Absurd. It’s a Gift. It’s a Miracle.’ – Dimension 20’s Meteoric Rise to Fame

Dimension 20 began airing on September 26, 2018, amid a renaissance of TTRPG actual play streams. Pulling inspiration from shows like Critical Role, Adventure Zone, and Not Another D&D Podcast, Dimension 20 quickly found a niche by focusing on comedy and zany concepts, such as the combination of high school and high fantasy to create Fantasy High.

Amid what Mulligan described as the “new ecosystem of information” created by the internet, the actual play had gained a healthy following – but the COVID-19 pandemic propelled Dimension 20 to unexpected heights of success. "It’s absurd. It’s a gift. It’s a miracle," Mulligan admitted. "I’m staggered and bewildered at the sequence of events that led us here." Isolating viewers flocked to the platform during lockdown, turning Dimension 20 from a modestly popular show to one of the biggest names in the actual play sphere.

And yet, Mulligan was quick to point out that its rise to fame didn’t happen in plain sight. "This is an artifact of the age of digital media in which fanbases can accumulate to preposterous numbers siloed from prestige legacy media," Mulligan explained. "Yes, you have built this big audience, but you’ve built it in the shadows." Much like the hidden world of magic in the Unsleeping City, Dimension 20’s fanbase was formed beneath the surface of mainstream pop culture – a fact that led to some particularly comedic moments when Dimension 20 sold out their recent live show at Madison Square Garden.

"The fans were wearing cosplay, they were excited, they were pumped. They are realizing how big the show has become because there is an entire stadium full of people who are going 'Hoot! Growl! Hoot! Growl!' And here’s some 65-year-old teamster from Long Island being like, 'What’s this about? Dungeons and what the f***?'"

Mulligan is still adapting to the surprising surge in popularity that Dungeons and Dragons and TTRPGs as a whole have received, let alone Dimension 20's success. "I still haven’t gotten over the fact that you can just do this for a living, period," he said. Citing a time when Dungeons and Dragons was "a weird, oral culture of sourdough starter GMs moving from group to group and teaching the game," Mulligan was floored to find that they had sold out during the Gauntlet at the Garden show in under an hour. "This is where the Knicks play," Mulligan exclaimed. "This is where Jalen Godd*** Brunson plays basketball!"

Rumble in the Chungle – Dimension 20’s Second Live Show of 2025

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And yet, the critical success of Dimension 20 has only just begun. It has three more live shows planned this year: the Battle at the Bowl in Hollywood on June 1, Quangle Quest at the Climate Pledge Arena on July 20, and Viva Mas Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on November 3.

The first of these, called the Rumble in the Chungle, will be a canon showdown between the notorious Chungledown Bim and Fabian Seacaster in the Dimension 20 world of Fantasy High – the finale to a hilarious rivalry that has spanned years, both in-game and out. "Ol’ Bimothy has some tricks up his sleeves," Mulligan teased. "It’s been some years in canon, so he may have some tricks up his sleeve that you may not have even seen in Dimension 20 Foundry [where me and Lou Wilson statted him out]." Only time will tell how this contest will end, but one thing is for sure: only one of these nemeses will walk out of the Hollywood Bowl alive.

Is it the central hero-villain relationship of Fantasy High? Is Chungle Down, in some ways, thematically, the most appropriate arch-villain for the series thus far? I leave that to fans to decide. All I know is that I definitely planned on this gnome with a beard and mustache and pockets full of spaghetti being this important when I made him up. And that, you can believe, okay?

Luckily, fans who miss out on the live show in person will be able to watch it on Dropout, though not for a bit. It took just under four months for the Gauntlet at the Garden to make its way to the streaming platform, so until the Rumble in the Chungle arrives on Dropout, Mulligan suggests fans "go to your social media sites and mute Battle at the Bowl, because I don’t want anyone to share spoilers, but baby, it’s the internet. It’s rough out there."

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