If Dungeons & Dragons saved my life, NADDPOD showed me how to play

This is a sort-of sequel to a previous piece from a year ago. If you want the full story, I recommend you read that first.

As you may know, I play D&D. 

I’m a Mountain Dwarf Monk named D’Fwan Holderhek (yes, I had just binge-watched 30 Rock before creating this character). I got into it during a low time in my life and, without sounding too melodramatic, it saved me.

The game gave me an outlet - a way to meetup with friends regularly who I hadn’t seen in ages, escape the humdrum normality of everyday life, and allows me a safe space to directly address my anxieties by building a character that is essentially me.

Put simply, it was awesome. But we all have to start from somewhere, and that somewhere for me was podcasts. My friend recommended I consume as much content as possible, to understand the flow of the game - nudging me towards Critical Role as a good example.

It’s a great podcast...I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone though, as it can get a little too crunchy, a little full on and too serious for its own good sometimes.

After a couple episodes, I relented and saw another podcast ranking pretty highly - Not Another D&D Podcast, and I’ve been hooked since. The stories are gripping, the humour will make you laugh out loud on public transport and the explanation of mechanics help you to get a better understanding of 5e. If you haven’t tried NADDPOD/heard of it, I wholeheartedly recommend you go check it out.

Why do I talk about this now? Well, they’ve just done their first two live shows in the UK - one in Manchester (the one I went to) and another in London.

The experience started with a pre-show meetup on Reddit. A first for me. Rather than awkwardly go solo (dolo), I decided to establish a pre-show meetup at a bar around the corner. Anxiety ran through my veins, as I didn’t quite know what to expect.

All too often, I’ve been in the situation where I’ve setup an event and watched people confirm, only to see little-to-no turnout in what is just an awkward huddle around a bluetooth speaker. Would this be the same? Because at the end of the day, we are all strangers to each other, everywhere except for the internet. I wouldn’t blame them if they just didn’t show up.

Much to my pleasant surprise, plenty of amazing people showed up - spanning all four corners of Britain and even from abroad also.

The cheap beers flowed and I got to understand the real worldwide connecting power of podcasts. With an ability to focus on a niche interest, you can really build great communities of like minded people. I am incredibly lucky to have met the people I did, which helped me with my own social anxiety before heading to the theatre.

Consider this next bit my whistlestop...theatrical performance review, I guess? It was amazing to see the amazing chemistry between all these players generate some genuinely eye-wateringly funny improvised comedic moments. 

You can clearly see their experience across TV, book writing and online video pour over into an infectiously immersive show - grabbing you by the scruff of the neck (metaphorically) and pulling you into the world of Bahumia with the amazing DM skills of Brian Murphy and the roleplaying chops on the rest of the cast. 

From someone who plays the game like a third person observer of my character (no acting), adding this extra dimension of personification really adds another level to it, and I’ll be trying to get over my crippling fear of public speaking to do the same.

All in all, a great show that will leave you hungry for more and an unforgettable experience of how the internet can sometimes be good, and not a total dumpster fire like it usually is. I may not be as hardcore of a fan of this lovely bunch, but they were instrumental in helping me save myself from a dark time in my life, and (to the Band of Boobs) if you read this, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.