Dimension 20’s Dungeons & Drag Queens: A cultural reset for queer nerds

Dungeons Drag Queens is a gift to nerds and the LGBTQ+ community — one that brings both groups closer together.

The latest season of Dimension 20 — its 18th — is anything but a gimmicky celebrity Dungeons & Dragons stream. In true Dimension 20 fashion, everyone at the table commits to the story they’re telling together (even if they don’t quite know the rules yet). The result is an amazing showcase for the Dropout philosophy, drag and playing your first role-playing tabletop game.

Image: Dimension 20/Dropout TV

Dropout, an independent streamer that offers inclusive content to its fans. Dungeons Drag QueensIt is clear that the LGBTQ+ Community will be welcomed. However, while many of the D&D players (and Dimension 20 fans) I know are queer, most of the queer people I know don’t play D&D. They’ve been told it isn’t for people like us. Up until the last decade, they weren’t exactly wrong.

For most of its history, the system of D&D itself was not a safe space for queer people and people of color. Early guides were written to speak exclusively to heterosexual, white men who are cisgender. The primary goals of early D&D were looting the ruins of ancient civilizations and destroying strongholds of intrinsically evil races. In the last decade, the rise of actual play shows like Dimension 20 and Critical Role has brought more force behind collective pushes to decolonize the canon of D&D (to various levels of success). Even before that, though, marginalized folks prospered and made community in TTRPGs despite an actively oppressive system — something we have centuries of experience in.

In a world where the LGBTQ+ Community is constantly under attackDungeons Drag QueensIt’s a beacon for queer, nerdy joy. Throughout the miniseries, each of the four queens (Jujubee, Monét X Change, Alaska Thunderfuck, and Bob The Drag Queen) experiences the range of emotions your first D&D campaign can evoke. It’s the initial discomfort, chaos and randomness of the first D&D campaign, as well as the emotion of telling stories with loved ones.

“I know this isn’t real…” Jujubee said about her emotional journey in an episode of Dimension 20’s talk-back show Adventuring Party (season 13, episode 2, “The Bloods and the Crypts”). “We just stepped into it, and we’re having a good time, but there’s some real-life energy that goes into a game like this. […] We’ve all been lost and we’re going through this little made-up board game, but there’s a goal. The goal of the game is to solve a problem. And I think anybody can relate to that.”

Dungeons Drag Queens offers an easy and entertaining access point for queer people who have never felt safe entering D&D’s complex (and occasionally infuriating) world of rules, lore, and role-play. You could also watch a few of the episodes from Adventuring PartyYou will leave with an understanding of how the game works.

Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan assumes no level of prior knowledge from the show’s four legendary queens. In a master class on DMing for new players, Mulligan creates invisible bumpers to guide his players through their first time playing D&D. In a humorous, yet patient way, he explains the mechanics of D&D. This keeps momentum moving. This “yes, and” style of play encourages his players’ commitment to the bit while teaching new viewers that making big (and occasionally consequential) choices can make your game more joyful — even if you don’t know what number to add or what dice to roll.

Image: Dimension 20/Dropout TV

TTRPG veterans who are not familiar with the drag world will be able to appreciate how talented, funny, and charismatic these four queens really are. They can empathize and understand them in an exclusive space. Once they get a handle on the mechanics, all four fall naturally into the rhythm of this new medium — and they slay.

Dungeons Drag QueensThe show (a title graciously taken from Seattle’s in-peron real play) combines two art forms that seem unrelated: drag and play. It Both communities share more than they might first think. They both rely upon the energy exchanged by everyone present. They have both been subject to misguided moral panic. In both cases, a person assumes a different identity to share a common experience. On multiple occasions, Mulligan has said playing D&D is like performing a version of yourself filtered through stained glass. “That’s sort of what stories are, right?” Mulligan said on Adventuring Party. “It’s a place to Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. safely. […] If you want some catharsis, if you want to feel sorrow, if you want to feel rage, if you want to identify with somebody, come to this story.”

As Dimension 20 exemplifies not just this season but in all of its programming, D&D should be a safe place to be who you are. Trans DMs and players can explore their gender identity in a safe environment with trusted people.

Dungeons Drag QueensThis type of exploratory spirit is welcomed with open arms. This season of Dimension 20 will inspire a new wave of queer people to explore and adventure in a world where they are not only accepted, but celebrated.

First episode of Dungeons Drag Queens premiered June 28, and can be watched for free on Dimension 20’s YouTube channel. Dropout.tv will premiere the fourth and final installment on July 19.