Dimension 20

This article is about the tabletop role-playing show. For n-dimensional mathematics, see Dimension § Additional dimensions.

"Fantasy High" redirects here. For the subgenre, see High Fantasy.

Not to be confused with d20 System.

Dimension 20
Genre	Fantasy Dungeons & Dragons Actual play
Created by	Brennan Lee Mulligan
Based on	Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	117
Production
Running time	c. 60–180 minutes
Production company	CollegeHumor
Original release
Network	Dropout
Release	September 19, 2018 (2018-09-19) – present (present)

Dimension 20 is a tabletop role-playing game show produced by CollegeHumor, and generally hosted by Brennan Lee Mulligan as the show's regular Dungeon Master. Most of the games use Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. Seasons of the show alternate between major campaigns, featuring a returning cast of players with seventeen or more episodes, and side quests with rotating guests lasting ten episodes or fewer.

History

Dimension 20 originated as a production for Dropout, a streaming service aimed at delivering content with R-rated material or unusual formatting which launched in 2018. Dimension 20 was among the shows listed for the service when it was first unveiled. Mulligan cited a number of existing tabletop shows as inspiration for Dimension 20, including NADDPOD (Not Another D&D Podcast), The Adventure Zone and Critical Role. The format for the show, with distinct arcs based on different settings, was determined early on in the show's development.

The show debuted in 2018 with Fantasy High as the first campaign presented. The strong fan response from the first season resulted in Fantasy High being renewed for a live season, known as Fantasy High: Sophomore Year. Episodes of Fantasy High: Sophomore Year were streamed live on Twitch, as opposed to pre-recorded, edited, and uploaded to YouTube. The season concluded with a two-part finale titled “Spring Break! I Believe in You!”, which was streamed remotely. Through social media, the Dimension 20 team confirmed that they have plans to continue the story of “The Bad Kids” with a third season in the Fantasy High series.

In January 2020, major layoffs took place at CollegeHumor, including much of the cast. The show nevertheless continued production remotely as California’s Stay at Home orders were put into effect. On May 24, 2021, Brennan Lee Mulligan announced in a video on Dropout that Dimension 20 and other CollegeHumor projects would resume production in-person and in-studio, adhering to COVID safety guidelines set by SAG-AFTRA and other film guilds and production unions.

Format

With some notable exception, each season of Dimension 20 presents its own adventure or “campaign” with its own unique world and characters. Most seasons feature a core cast known by fans as the “Intrepid Heroes” (Ally Beardsley, Emily Axford, Lou Wilson, Brian Murphy, Zac Oyama, and Siobhan Thompson), but for alternating seasons nicknamed "side quests," the show invites guest players, generally other members of CollegeHumor or figures from the TTRPG community. As of October 2022, Dimension 20 has had nine side quests: Escape from the Bloodkeep (featuring Matthew Mercer of Critical Role, and Erika Ishii of L.A. by Night), Tiny Heist (featuring the cast of The Adventure Zone), Pirates of Leviathan (featuring Marisha Ray of Critical Role, with Mercer returning), Mice & Murder (featuring many CollegeHumor alum), Misfits and Magic (the first campaign to feature a guest DM, Aabria Iyengar, with Brennan Lee Mulligan as a player), The Seven, Shriek Week, Coffin Run, and A Court of Fey and Flowers. Brennan Lee Mulligan is usually the Dungeon Master, but beginning with the ninth season, Misfits & Magic, the show adopted rotating Game Masters. The change was announced via a trailer with an attached FAQ document.

Campaigns

The campaigns use the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition system with Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master (DM) unless otherwise stated. The DM also creates house rules that make the game run differently from the normal system.

Campaign	Episodes	First aired	Last aired	Cast	Description	Ref.
Fantasy High	17	September 19, 2018	January 9, 2019	Emily Axford as Figueroth "Fig" Faeth Zac Oyama as Gorgug Thistlespring Siobhan Thompson as Adaine Abernant Lou Wilson as Fabian Aramais Seacaster Ally Beardsley as Kristen Applebees Brian Murphy as Riz "The Ball" Gukgak Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master	Set in the town of Elmville, an odd, anachronistic town resembling a high-fantasy John Hughes movie, "The Bad Kids" attend the Aguefort Adventuring Academy, a fictional high school designed to teach people how to become adventurers.
Escape from the Bloodkeep	6	April 30, 2019	June 4, 2019	Rekha Shankar as Maggie Matt Mercer as Kraz-Thun / Leiland Amy Vorpahl as Efink Murderdeath Mike Trapp as Sokhbarr Erika Ishii as Lilith Ify Nwadiwe as Markus St. Vincent Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master	The show's first “side quest” season, a parody of The Lord of the Rings. A cast of villains try to hide the death of their Sauron-esque leader from the rest of his evil armies.
The Unsleeping City	17	July 9, 2019	October 29, 2019	Zac Oyama as Ricky Matsui Emily Axford as Sofia Lee Lou Wilson as Kingston Brown Siobhan Thompson as Misty Moore Brian Murphy as Kugrash Ally Beardsley as Pete "the Plug" Conlan Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master	A campaign set in a magical version of modern-day New York City. A group of people protect New York residents from knowing about the underlying magic in their city.
Fantasy High: Sophomore Year	20	October 16, 2019	April 3, 2020	Emily Axford as Figueroth "Fig" Faeth Zac Oyama as Gorgug Thistlespring Siobhan Thompson as Adaine Abernant Lou Wilson as Fabian Aramais Seacaster Ally Beardsley as Kristen Applebees Brian Murphy as Riz "The Ball" Gukgak Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master	A continuation of the original Fantasy High campaign. The Bad Kids travel outside of Elmville to retrieve the missing Crown of The Nightmare King in order to earn 60% of their final grade. Originally streamed live on Twitch as “Dimension 20 LIVE” and then edited for Dropout. This was the first campaign to not have battle minis or sets, relying on “theater of the mind”. The two-part finale was recorded remotely as in-person production had been halted by California’s Stay at Home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tiny Heist	6	January 9, 2020	February 13, 2020	Justin McElroy as Rick Diggins Clint McElroy as Boomer Coleoptera Jessica Ross as Agnes Lily Du as TI-83 Griffin McElroy as Bean Travis McElroy as Car-Go Jones Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master	A set of "tiny people" (i.e., bugs, living toys, etc.) attempt to pull off a successful heist. The full cast of The Adventure Zone are present as guest players.
A Crown of Candy	17	April 8, 2020	August 5, 2020	Ally Beardsley as Liam Wilhelmina Brian Murphy as Sir Theobald Gumbar Emily Axford as Princess Jet Rocks & Queen Saccharina Siobhan Thompson as Princess Ruby Rocks Lou Wilson as King Amethar Rocks Zac Oyama as Lapin Cadbury & Cumulous Rocks Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master	Set in a Candy Land-inspired kingdom of Candia in a Game of Thrones-inspired setting of violence and political intrigue. Pre-recorded episodes, followed by a new live after-show with the cast (known as Adventuring Party) were released every Wednesday until the season finale on August 5, 2020.
Pirates of Leviathan	6	September 16, 2020	October 21, 2020	Marisha Ray as Sunny Biscotto Krystina Arielle as Barbarella "Bob" Sasparilla Gainglynn Carlos Luna as Cheese Stormcrank Aabria Iyengar as Myrtle Matt Mercer as "Unlucky" Jack Brakkow B. Dave Walters as Marcid the Typhoon Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master	The campaign is set in the same universe as Fantasy High, on the floating pirate city of Leviathan. This was the first full campaign to be completely recorded remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Unsleeping City: Chapter II	18	November 11, 2020	March 10, 2021	Zac Oyama as Ricky Matsui Emily Axford as Sofia Lee Lou Wilson as Kingston Brown Siobhan Thompson as Iga Lisowski & Rowan Berry Brian Murphy as Cody "Night Angel" Walsh & Kugrash Ally Beardsley as Pete Conlan Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master	A continuation of The Unsleeping City. Taking place three years after the original campaign, The Dream Team reunites, along with two new members, to stop the internet-based media corporation Gladiator from destroying the balance between the Dream and Waking Worlds. This was the first remotely recorded campaign to use the program Roll20, which digitizes dice rolls and utilizes digital maps instead of battle sets and mini figures.
Mice & Murder	10	April 7, 2021	June 9, 2021	Ally Beardsley as Lars Vandenchomp Sam Reich as Buckster $ Boyd Katie Marovitch as Gangie Green Raphael Chestang as Vicar Ian Prescott Rekha Shankar as Daisy D'umpstaire Grant O'Brien as Detective Sylvester Cross Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master	An Edwardian murder mystery campaign inspired by Sherlock Holmes, set in a world where characters are anthropomorphic animals, in the same vein as Wind in the Willows, attending the birthday party of a wealthy estate owner.
Misfits & Magic	4	June 30, 2021	July 21, 2021	Erika Ishii as Dream / K (a.k.a. Karen Keiko Tanaka) Danielle Radford as Sam Black Lou Wilson as Whitney Jammer Brennan Lee Mulligan as Evan Kelmp Aabria Iyengar as the Game Master	A campaign set in a British magical academy where the characters are four teenage American exchange students. The campaign uses the Kids on Brooms role-playing system. This is the first campaign to feature a guest Game Master, and the first to be recorded in studio following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Seven	10	August 18, 2021	October 20, 2021	Aabria Iyengar as Antiope Jones Erika Ishii as Danielle Barkstock Rekha Shankar as Katja Cleaver Persephone Valentine as Sam Nightingale Becca Scott as Penny Luckstone Isabella Roland as Ostentatia Wallace Brennan Lee Mulligan as Zelda Donovan and the Dungeon Master	Dimension 20 returns to the Fantasy High setting with Mulligan as the DM; this campaign focuses on a teenage adventuring party who were "taken prisoner by the villains of Fantasy High: Freshman Year".
Shriek Week	4	November 10, 2021	December 1, 2021	Ify Nwadiwe as Terry Talbo Dani Fernandez as Seven Lily Du as Tuti IV Ally Beardsley as Megan Mirror Gabe Hicks as the Game Master	A campaign set at the haunted Bram University where the characters are the monstrous "children of horror icons". The campaign uses the Mythic role-playing system created by guest Game Master Gabe Hicks.
Misfits & Magic Holiday Special	1	December 15, 2021		See Misfits & Magic above	The Misfits & Magic cast returns in this one episode holiday special.
A Starstruck Odyssey	18	January 12, 2022	May 11, 2022	Emily Axford as Sundry Sidney Brian Murphy as Big Barry Syx Ally Beardsley as Margaret Encino Zac Oyama as Captain Norman "the Skipper" Takamori / "Skip" Siobhan Thompson as Riva Lou Wilson as Gunthrie "Gunnie" Miggles-Rashbax Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master	The main Dimension 20 cast returns in a campaign amongst the stars; the campaign uses TaleSpire to manage encounters and battles and the Star Wars 5e role-playing system. The campaign is set in the Starstruck universe, which was co-created by Elaine Lee (Mulligan's mother) and Michael Kaluta.
Coffin Run	6	June 8, 2022	July 13, 2022	Zac Oyama as Squing Izzy Roland as Aleksandr Astrovsky Erika Ishii as May Wong Carlos Luna as Wetzel Jasmine Bhullar as the Game Master	A comedic vampire road trip where Dracula's entourage must return a nearly dead Dracula to Transylvania – otherwise, they all die. The game uses a modified version of D&D 5th Edition; it is the third game to feature a Game Master other than Brennan Lee Mulligan.
A Court of Fey and Flowers	10	August 3, 2022	October 5, 2022	Emily Axford as Lady Chirp Featherfowl Surena Marie as Gwyndolin Thistle-hop Oscar Montoya as Delloso de la Rue Brennan Lee Mulligan as Captain K.P. Hob Omar Najam as Andhera Lou Wilson as Lord Squak Airavis Aabria Iyengar as Game Master	Several of the Fae realm's most prestigious aristocrats attend an event known as the Bloom. It utilizes 5e and Good Society game systems, with Aabria Iyengar returning as Game Master.
Neverafter	20	November 30, 2022	April 12, 2023	Brian Murphy as Prince Gerard of Greenleigh Zac Oyama as Puss in Boots Lou Wilson as Pinocchio Ally Beardsley as Mother Timothy Goose Emily Axford as Ylfa Snorgelsson Siobhan Thompson as Princess Rosamund du Prix Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master	Marketed as "the horror season," featuring classic fairy tale characters.

Supplementary shows

CollegeHumor publishes additional videos that discuss elements of role-playing (Adventuring Academy) or specifics about the first season (Dimension 20 Fantasy High Extra Credit). These are released via YouTube.

Dropout also features a Q&A and talkback show tied to various seasons of Dimension 20 called Adventuring Party. The first four seasons centered around A Crown of Candy, Pirates of Leviathan, The Unsleeping City: Chapter II, and Mice and Murder were all filmed remotely and aired live following the release of the episode of Dimension 20 aired that week, where fans submit questions that Mulligan and the cast will answer. Once filming resumed in The Dome, however, the format changed to that of a commentary talkback show pre-recorded immediately after the filming of the previous episode.

One-Shots

Dropout has released multiple one-shot adventures in addition to their full-length campaigns, such as Dimension 20: Fantasy High! Live! at The Bell House, Fantasy High LIVE at RTX Austin, Boys' Night! (Roll20Con), and College Visit (RTX @ Home Live).

Reception

Comic Book Resources warmly received the show, describing it as "among the best of its kind". The review highlighted the arc based format, which keeps the story fast paced and allows the rotation of new players and voices in the space. The show has also been praised for its positive LGBTQ representation, with multiple characters exploring their sexualities during the two seasons of Fantasy High.

Glen Weldon, for NPR in 2021, wrote: "Mulligan is such a good DM and he's got so many improv skills. He's such a close and responsive listener that no matter what the players throw at him, he can always roll with it, without breaking the game. And that is a very rare skill, so it's terrific stuff". Weldon compared the show to Critical Role and highlighted that the cast is "sketch and improv comedians. While the folks at Critical Role are often very funny, they're actors. [...] At Dimension 20, if they can go for a joke, they're going to go for the joke, and that might line up closer to my sensibility".

Justin Carter, in a review of A Starstruck Odyssey for Gizmodo, stated that "the consistency with which Dimension 20 shakes things up has helped give it a different kind of longevity compared to some of its fellow Actual Play titans, and each season [...] is able to feel like a natural part of the franchise while also its own distinct thing". Carter highlighted that "several of the season’s best events are too good to spoil, but every episode has at least two moments of incredible, often hilarious roleplaying from the cast. [...] Starstruck’s blend of strange humor and character drama feels a little bit more reined in than some earlier seasons and not prone to bits that could admittedly go on a little longer than necessary". Carter commented that this season has an infectious joy to it and that it takes the "fun to new, cosmic heights".