The first time I played a role-playing game (RPG), I had no idea what to expect. I was in college and Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) was something I’d vaguely heard about but had no understanding of. Why were there all these different dice? What was “rolling up” a character, and why did it take so long? Where was the game board?

I’m happy to report that more than 30 years later, TTRPGs—tabletop role-playing games, particularly D&D—are having a moment, due in part to a few major factors:

The rise of nerd culture has steadily gained momentum over the last decade, fueled by various forms of entertainment: TV shows like The Big Bang Theory, franchises such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and The Lord of the Rings, the explosive popularity of manga, the proliferation of comic conventions, and more.

Notably, Stranger Things—the pop­ular Netflix series set in the 1980s—had a big hand in bringing D&D to the masses. The main characters are devotees of the game, and the show’s monsters draw from D&D: the Demogorgon, Vecna, and Mind Flayers all have incarnations. Hasbro even released a Stranger Things D&D Starter Set in 2019.

The COVID-19 pandemic also played a role, turning folks into sourdough bakers and, apparently, Dungeon Masters. Families spending a year together at home during lockdown took to tabletop games, including RPGs. By December 2022, the Washington Post reported a 22 percent increase in board game sales from 2019. By December 2023, the market was valued at $13 billion.

The internet also proved to be a useful tool for bringing groups of people with shared interests together and providing information directly to those interested in learning. Websites offer discussion groups, walkthrough videos, and more.

Elena Chernykh/Getty Images (modified)

D&D, the big bad grandaddy of RPGs, turned 50 in 2024. Its core rulebooks have been updated and revised: the Dungeon Master’s Guide, the Player’s Handbook, and the Monster Manual. Players are often drawn to D&D for its boundless creativity, allowing them to explore character and social roles in a safe space. The updates have streamlined the rules and offer more inclusive language and illustrations, welcoming new players.

So what is an RPG? It’s a game in which players create and play characters. Depending on the game, players can be a human or an animal, a fantastical creature or an alien—the possibilities are endless. Active players are referred to as “player characters,” or PCs, and take part in the game’s adventure through exploring, problem solving, and interacting with other PCs and NPCs (non-player characters), who are played by the Game Master/Dungeon Master. Also called the GM or DM, this participant brings the world of the game to life for the players, interpreting the rules and acting as narrator, referee, and supporting actor. NPCs exist to help further player characters’ stories; they can appear for one game or can be regular characters, played by the DM.

Next, there are dice, usually referred to by how many sides they have: D6 for a six-sided die, D4 for four-sided, and so on. There are many different dice, each determining a different outcome; for example, the amount of damage that will occur in combat or whether a character succeeds in completing an action (cue the math skills!). We also use dice to “roll up” a character: when creating ours, we roll to establish their different abilities. For instance, in D&D, you’d roll to get scores for their six abilities (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma). If you want a very strong character, you’d likely assign your highest dice rolls to Strength and Constitution, which would make you powerful and more resistant to injury. If you want a more dexterous one, like a Rogue, you’d put your higher points in Dexterity and Intelligence.

D&D is the most iconic RPG, but it’s far from the only one. There are games for all interests and ages these days: science fiction, fantasy, contemporary espionage, horror, Westerns, even baking shows and telenovelas all have RPGs. Players can play collaborative games, where they help one another accomplish a task or complete an adventure. D&D can be customized for younger players, but other games can also offer an introduction to RPG concepts and gameplay, such as No Thank You, Evil! , where players five and up can go on an adventure and proclaim, “No thank you, Evil!” if things get scary. Other younger-geared RPGs like Goblin Quest are full of slapstick fun, while Magical Kitties Save the Daylets players become magical felines that save their humans from witches, aliens, and other threats.

Older players can delve more deeply into RPGs with higher stakes, like Kids on Bikes (reviewed in this issue!), where kids investigate weird happenings in their town; Mouse Guard, where players are mice guarding their woodland home from predators; and Root, where players are outcast woodland creatures, living through a time of war. For manga and anime fans, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Cowboy Bebop have RPGs available.
 

Kids play Venture Society with Jorge Lopez, an early childhood specialist who also runs games in Spanish at the Queens (NY) Public Library’s Corona Library. Courtesy of Queens Library

Why are RPGs useful to librarians?

What better place for tabletop games to find an audience than a library? Libraries are all about community and learning, and there is an RPG for everyone these days. Roleplaying games encourage social skills, problem-solving, and math skills; they encourage players to imagine and tell stories—all in a collaborative setting outside of school so it doesn’t feel like “work.”

There is no right or wrong when playing a roleplaying game. Rules are there to give players an overall structure and flow, but most gamers will tell you that rules are meant to be broken, bent, reformed, or thrown completely to the wind. There are no right or wrong games, either: if D&D doesn’t work for you, try Kids on Bikes, Humblewood, or Pathfinder. To paraphrase library pioneer S.R. Ranganathan, “Every game its player.”

RPGs encourage connection. I’ve asked my 12-year-old son how his school day went and received a grunt in response, but if you asked what happened during our last Pathfinder session, he could talk without taking a full breath for 10 minutes.

New RPGs are being developed for younger audiences, with new ways to help them strengthen literacy skills. The fonts are larger, the pictures brighter, and the games are less complicated, focusing more on social and storytelling elements. Venture Society, from 9th Level Games, is intended for players ages 5–7, and it rewards experience points for completing kind acts, encouraging empathy, collaboration, and social skills. The game also includes a Professionals Guide for therapists and educators who want to use the game in their practice.

Finally, RPGs boost to circulation. Displays with D&D-related books, fantasy and sci-fi read-alikes, and adorable animal stories can all map to games.

Programming and accessibility

RPG programming can be simple, but it requires planning, like any program. My library kids weren’t initially very familiar with D&D, and RPGs can have competition from video games like Robloxand Minecraft. Seeing a potential crossover of interest, I started with two young game players who visited regularly. Using a copy of the D&D Starter Set, I showed them the pre-generated character sheets, which featured color illustrations. Once that whetted their interest, I took them on a quick adventure to explain gameplay, setting the two characters—an elf wizard and a dwarf fighter—in a dark tunnel and asking them to describe what they wanted to do. Five minutes later, they each had rolled dice and taken actions to translate Dwarven runes scrawled on a wall to safely sneak past a sleeping orc and escape the tunnel.

It worked! I had a great little campaign that summer. Word of mouth helps once your regulars get started, but flyers and branch calendars are always steadfast promotional tools.

What’s a campaign, you ask? It’s a series of adventures in one setting: a city, a planet, a universe; it can be large or small. A campaign can consist of a handful of adventures or it can go on for years. Think of it as a book, and the adventures as the chapters.

Accessibility is incredibly important and looks different for everyone. Game developers publish games in other languages, and many libraries, including mine, carry Spanish editions of the D&D Player’s Handbook and the Dungeon Master’s Guide. But with programming, other options may be available. Our branch recently received a library copy of Venture Society, and our early childhood specialist—a TTRPG fan—helped introduce the game to younger Spanish-speaking players, as he already has an established game time and is bilingual. Three kids joined and he ran a 30-minute game, translating the adventure into Spanish for the group. Success!

Some potential players may be turned off by the math involved. I remind them that rules are there to help provide an overall structure for gameplay, sure, but they can be changed or scrapped. Homebrew players, who design their own rules and campaigns within the foundation of an established RPG, have been doing this for decades. So if you think the math is scaring off players, strip that character sheet down. You can always add math back later, or you can stick to creating amazing worlds that run mostly on storytelling, with the occasional dice roll to determine a success or a stumble.

Some kids find the rulebooks nerve-racking: how are they supposed to memorize that entire player’s guide? First, reassure your players: this is not homework. There will be no tests, and you won’t “fail” at playing. There are simplified versions of rules for D&D, for instance, all over the web. You can create cheat sheets for players that include your game’s basic rules, dice rolls, and gameplay mechanics; for spellcasters, you might include a few spell info cards for them to refer to. A little extra prep work will make a world of difference to your players. Remember to cheer your players on: they can do this, and you’re there to help. And: this is supposed to be fun! So strip down rules, make up new ones, simplify gameplay wherever you want to make a game that you and your players want to play.

The best ways to roleplay

There are so many ways to fit game time into your library. Many have gaming groups or a regular game program on their calendars. School breaks, especially summer, are great times to start a gaming program. Whether you play once a week or once a month, consistency is key. Promote your program to local schools and community organizations. Talk to your school contacts: they may have a game club you can collaborate with.

A Session Zero is a great idea for most RPGs: it’s a pre-campaign session where you and your players discuss the campaign and manage expectations. This is where your players tell you what lines they may have, setting personal boundaries for the game—“The dog/familiar cannot die” is a set-in-stone rule in my library—and you can draw your lines, too. Session Zeroes let you set ground rules for behavior, overall gameplay, and commitment. In a library, most games are 60–90 minutes, and most RPG campaigns will need the same characters for each session, and in those cases, determining everyone’s availability is key to a successful campaign. Session Zeroes are also an opportune time to roll up characters and create backstories.

If you find you need help recruiting players, never underestimate snacks as a strategic tool. I may have all my computers occupied by kids glued to Roblox, but the second they see snack-size bags of Doritos enter the room, I have everyone’s attention.

Don’t discount the power of passive programs. Game publishers make RPG-themed resources available, from coloring sheets to Mad Libs. Crafting ideas: a make-and-take pipe cleaner dragon, a magical paper helmet, or a wizard’s spellbook.

Check you calendars! There are plenty of days to introduce TTRPGs to patrons: National Dungeons & Dragons Day is November 5; July 27 is D&D creator Gary Gygax’s birthday, celebrated as Gary Gygax Day; June 7, 2025, is International Tabletop Day; and Free RPG Day is June 21, 2025. Use these dates to promote player-friendly programming: hold How to Become a Dungeon Master workshops, Create-a-Character sessions, or miniature painting workshops, for starters.

A final word about gatekeepers. Some folks still think that TTRPGs should only be played by certain types of people, and they want to control who those types of people are. As a female of a certain age who’s been playing TTRPGs for a few decades, I still encounter the odd gatekeeper on occasion, and I laugh. Sure, let those folks expend time and energy trying to keep people out. All we librarians have to do is remember that gaming is like librarianship: everyone is welcome. To that end, embrace inclusive character creation and gameplay, listen for feedback from your players, and keep things light, friendly, and fun. We all win when we get to say, “I play games at work.”

Rosemary Kiladitis is a community library manager with Queens (NY) Public Library’s Corona Library.