The best new actual play series coming in 2023

The 2022 year saw some major moves by actual role-playing actors. Things kicked off with the return of HyperRPG’s experimental Kollok. Critical Role and Dimension 20 explored entirely new genres, complemented by the award-winning coziness of Jeff Stormer and Possum Creek Games’ miniseries of Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast. Meanwhile, Justin McElroy’s pivot to Blades in Dark breathed new life into The Adventure Zone’s latest campaign, Steeplechase.

The first month in 2023 has seen actual tabletop playing grow to become an ever larger part of the scene. However, the scene is evolving quickly. The next iteration of Dungeons & Dragons, dubbed One DnD, is raising more questions than it answers — especially as a possible new Open Gaming License looms. Sponsored shows are another way publishers such as Chaosium, Paizo Interactive, Hunters Entertainment and Free League can attract people to their games.

What’s on the horizon? It’s hard to know. It is difficult to say, honestly. Most announcements remain secret until a few weeks before the air date. Here’s what is currently on our radar this year.

Worlds Beyond Number

Announced New Year’s Day at the stroke of midnight Eastern time after a viral teaser campaign, Worlds Beyond Number is an artist-owned collaboration between Brennan Lee Mulligan, Aabria Iyengar, Erika Ishii, Lou Wilson, and Taylor Moore. They include well-known veterans in video actual play, who have been known to push the forms and Moore for his production talent. Moore is well-known for making sonically intriguing podcasts. If you’ve longed to see the omnipresent Iyengar and Ishii seizing the means of production, this is a gift.

They promise that the multiverse will contain multiple settings, systems and worlds. First campaign The Wizard, Witch and Wild One, will be led by DM Mulligan and is billed as feeling like “the perfect home game of D&D” — a sprawling world to play in. A Patreon will launch Feb. 1 with sneak peeks of the campaign as well as scenes from their Session 0 campaign, the Children’s Adventure. The full 12-hour Children’s Adventure will be Patreon-exclusive and drop alongside the first episode available to the public on March 1. Keep watching their website. socialsClick here for additional information.

Glass Cannon Labs

Image: Glass Cannon Network

Glass Cannon Labs will be exclusively available on Twitch as a podcast by major players in video actual plays. The project promises “raw, unpolished looks at various groups learning and playing new games together.” The show intends to minimize production costs to showcase games that otherwise couldn’t be played — a striking move as other actual play series move toward heavily edited content.

This series begins with three Free League matches: Mörk Borgspinoff Cy_BorgA gritty, grim fantasy Symbaroum, and Blade Runner RPG. Beginning Jan. 11, they will be airing the episode on Twitch at 2 PM EST Wednesdays.

The Walking Dead

Image: Free League Publishing

Glass Cannon will be joined by Free League and AMC Digital Studios in a tie-in. The Walking Dead Universe Roleplaying Game. The limited series promises “original events pulled from the series’ writers’ room” developed with former showrunner Scott M. Gimple, and teases possible actor cameos while following new characters who intersect with events in new ways. Keep your eyes peeled Free League’s socialsKeep checking back for more information.

New York at Night Season 3

Two coteries — one Anarch, one Camarilla — will square up for battle when New York City at NightIt returns for its third series. It departs from LA Night’s focus on just one side of the conflict between the the status quo and revolution, Jason Carl has chosen to spotlight two sides in successive seasons, while putting them on a collision course. It’s unclear who will be on whose team this time around — or who to root for among these glorious monsters. You can catch new episodes of the World of Darkness Twitch channel’s next episode. Keep watching! World of Darkness’ TwitterFor the most current news regarding the air date, click here

Rivals of Waterdeep

Image by Rivals of Waterdeep

Meanwhile, D&D programming continues to proliferate — even as Wizards of the Coast increasingly pulls back from direct production. Rivals, an all-BIPOC cast of actors from BIPOC returns February 5, for the start of the end. This is one of longest-running plays in play. The show’s innovative sharing of the DM’s seat and evolving cast has been an incubator for some of the most groundbreaking creators in tabletop. While it’s uncertain what the future holds for the Rivals, it’s well worth tuning in to see them stick the landing. More details to come. the troupe’s official Twitter account.

DesiQuest

Jasmine Bhullar is the acclaimed DM this summer.Shikar, Battle for Beyond, Dimension 20’s Coffin RunThe following () will guide you: DesiQuest, a seven-episode all-Desi D&D actual play drawing deeply from the lore of the Indian subcontinent and fueled by a successful Kickstarter. Bhullar is the star of the show, but the rest are equally impressive, with Sandeep Parikh and others.The Guild), Rekha Shankar (Dimension 20’s The Seven), Anjali Bhimani (Ms. Marvel, Overwatch, Exandria Unlimited), and Omar Najam (Dimension 20’sA Court of Fey and Flowers).

Acquisitions Incorporated

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Acquisitions Incorporated, which has experimented with every form of actual play on seemingly every possible platform, is set to transform once again with an upcoming “Series II” Kickstarter. Beyond the return of Mike Krahulik’s Jim Darkmagic, cast and setting have not been announced, but the teaser trailer included the AD&D 2nd edition title Mind Lords of The Last Sea, a book from the postapocalyptic, low-magic survivalist Dark Sun — a setting that hasn’t been heard from since 4th edition.

In the end, what’s most exciting about actual play this year may still be unknown; after all, the best part of the form is the part we don’t see coming.