Last November, CD Projekt Red, the creators of the popular game series “The Witcher” and “Cyberpunk 2077,” hosted a live stream featuring Mike Pondsmith, the creator of the Cyberpunk tabletop roleplaying game. He’s a passionate man with a voice and presence to rival Morgan Freeman. Mike discussed his involvement with the game, its lore, and a potential sequel. They also discussed how the RPG tied into its predecessors, such as “Cyberpunk 2013” and “Cyberpunk 2020.”

It got me thinking about how many TTRPGs had actually received transformations into other media across the years. D&D is the most popular by far and has been around since the 70’s, becoming mainstream more recently. In the era of live-streamed D&D campaigns like “Critical Role” or “Dimension 20,” the fanbase of TTRPGs has become more widespread.

Audiences flocked to these epic shows, watching every trial and tribulation and relishing the chemistry of the players. They have amassed fandoms and large followings the way a TV show would. It’s undergone a renaissance, becoming a genre for general consumers regardless of whether they play or not.

The most recent iteration gaining attention is the transition to video games. Over three billion people play video games; it’s a no-brainer to develop them. It has been attempted from the early stages of gaming to today, whether it’s the dungeon crawler “Dungeon Master” from the 80s, or the recently shut-down “Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance.” However, each attempt has varying degrees of success.

Though it seems they’ve begun to master the medium. Popular titles like “Baldur’s Gate 3” or the aforementioned “Cyberpunk 2077” have been the new poster children for role-playing games, both of which are based on tabletop role-playing games. Even “Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines,” a game I have a love-hate relationship with, is the most recent addition to the World of Darkness catalogue of games.

These games allow you to experience what would usually take at least four people to put together. The connection to characters, feeling yourself get stronger as the journey continues, the weight of the world on your shoulders, and begging the RNG gods to favor you, all without the hassle of having to coordinate your busy schedules to align once a week.

Despite how much these games try, they will never truly match the experience of playing with a group of either close friends or strangers you have just met. Why pretend your characters don’t know each other when it can just be true in real life? It’s a surreal feeling when you find the perfect group, and you’re all deep into character, trying to survive an encounter, or just trying to get your buddy out of trouble because he tries to seduce everything.

It’s a timeless medium that even other shows and games are being adapted into TTRPGs! Did you know there’s a Star Trek game where you can command your own starship and explore strange new worlds? Or one based on Dark Souls, where you can crash out from dice rolls instead of skill issues? Or a Walking Dead set, where you can live out your own struggle for survival and fight your own Negan? Despite the prevalence of video games and movies, there’s still a special place for tabletop games for every type of fan. These games let you experience a whole different world and story of your own, all with paper, dice, and your imagination.

While I love video games and the characters and the fantasies they let you live out, they’ll never replace the classics. They were here first, and they’re still here for a reason. Give the TTRPGs a shot, laugh as your DM tries to voice dozens of different species and genders, feel despair as you lose your character to your vampiric hunger, or just have a good time with friends.

There are dozens of different TTRPGs out there, from Star Wars to Arthurian Legend. Whether you’re looking to engulf yourself in your favorite franchise or explore an original creation, there is a game for everyone out there. You never know; you may find your new obsession.