Dimension 20
Genre	Fantasy Dungeons & Dragons Actual play
Created by	Brennan Lee Mulligan
Based on	Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition
Directed by	Michael Schaubach
Starring	Brennan Lee Mulligan Lou Wilson Ally Beardsley Zac Oyama Emily Axford Siobhan Thompson Brian Murphy
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	26
No. of episodes	278 (+ 16 one-shots & live shows)(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Sam Reich David Cyr Kerns Brennan Lee Mulligan
Producer	Rick Perry
Running time	c. 60–180 minutes
Production company	CollegeHumor
Original release
Network	Dropout
Release	September 26, 2018 (2018-09-26) – present

Dimension 20 is anactual play show produced by and broadcast onDropout, and created and generally hosted byBrennan Lee Mulligan as the show's regularDungeon Master. It is ananthology series, with the setting and cast changing between seasons. Most of the games useDungeons & Dragons 5th edition. Long seasons, featuring a core cast of players in seventeen or more episodes, are interspersed with shorter side quests, featuring a rotating cast in eleven or fewer episodes.

Dimension 20 originated as a production forDropout, a streaming service launched byCollegeHumor in 2018 to deliver content with R-rated material or an unusual format.Dimension 20 was among the shows listed for the service when it was first unveiled.^[1] The format for the show, with distinct story arcs in different settings, was determined early on in the show's development.^[2] The host, Brennan Lee Mulligan, had beenDMing since the age of 10 and had a background as alive action role-playing game writer. He had been the dungeon master for a private campaign with most of the principal cast ofDimension 20, only lackingLou Wilson andAlly Beardsley.^[2]

The series' launch took place amid a "renaissance" ofactual play shows. Mulligan cited a number of existing tabletop shows as inspiration forDimension 20, includingNot Another D&D Podcast (NADDPod),The Adventure Zone andCritical Role.^[2] One such show,NADDPod, featuresEmily Axford andBrian Murphy, who would joinDimension 20's primary cast.^[3] Guests were also drawn fromCritical Role andThe Adventure Zone early on in the show's run –Matthew Mercer first appeared inEscape from the Bloodkeep andGriffin McElroy appeared in a live episode ofFantasy High in 2019. The full cast ofThe Adventure Zone appeared inTiny Heist in early 2020.

The show debuted in 2018 with the first season ofFantasy High.^[4] A sequel to thiscampaign, titledFantasy High: Sophomore Year, premiered in 2019. Episodes ofFantasy High: Sophomore Year were streamed live onTwitch, unlike the pre-recorded and edited style of other campaigns on Dropout. The season concluded with a two-part finale titled "Spring Break! I Believe in You!", which was streamed remotely due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.^[5] Announced on the fifth anniversary ofDimension 20, a third season of this campaign –Fantasy High: Junior Year – premiered in January 2024.^[6]

The launch of the show took place amid financial troubles at CollegeHumor, which had suffered from apivot to Facebook video in the late 2010s based on inaccurate metrics. By late 2019, InterActiveCorp (IAC), the company's owner since 2006, was exploring the sale of CollegeHumor.^[7] In January 2020, theDimension 20 cast was laid off as part of larger layoffs at CollegeHumor. Mulligan was left as the only creative staff member on payroll at the company.^[8] The show nevertheless continued production remotely asCalifornia's stay at home orders were put into effect.^[9] CollegeHumor was rebranded as Dropout and continued to produce content, heavily focusing onDimension 20.^[10]

On May 24, 2021, Brennan Lee Mulligan announced thatDimension 20 and other CollegeHumor projects would resume production in-person and in-studio, adhering to COVID safety guidelines set bySAG-AFTRA and other film guilds and production unions.^[11] The show also began to use rotating game masters for side-quest campaigns in a change announced the following month.^[12] The company was able to hire more staff beyond its initial skeleton crew, and was in a more positive financial situation by 2024.^[10][13]

Beginning in 2022, Dropout began to auction off miniatures from previous seasons ofDimension 20. The proceeds from the auctions went towards funding future seasons of the show, as well as to charitable causes. This began withA Crown of Candy pieces.^[14] AFantasy High auction in 2024 donated 100% of profit to thePalestine Children's Relief Fund, and for the first time included scenery pieces and segments of theDungeon Master's screen.^[15]

During the2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, production onDimension 20 initially shut down.^[16] In July 2023, Dropout CEOSam Reich stated that as Dropout is not a member of theAMPTP, they "may be able to reach an interim agreement with SAG" which would allow them to resume production.^[17] Reich commented, "but we'll only do that, obviously, if we get the blessing of the union and the buy-in of our performers. If not, we have enough content in the can to last us a little past the end of the year".^[17] In August 2023, Reich announced that all Dropout shows had resumed production, as it was determined that their "New Media Agreement for Non-Dramatic Programming" was under a non-struck SAG-AFTRA contract.^[18][19]

In January 2025,Dimension 20 announced that the originalFantasy High campaign would be adapted as awebcomic, to be released onWebtoon.^[20][21] The series launched on March 31, 2025, and is scheduled to run for 61 issues, referred to asepisodes.^[22]

In July 2025, theGame Changer episode "Fool's Gold" featured a satirical segment titledDimension 20: On a Bus!, in which Katie Marovitch poorly ran a game for Mulligan along with Jasmine Bhullar,Aabria Iyengar and Matthew Mercer.^[23]

The seasons of the show are broadly divided into "Intrepid Heroes" campaigns, which feature a recurring group of six players, and "Side Quests", which feature guest players.^[24][25] Intrepid Heroes campaigns feature Mulligan as the Dungeon Master, along with playersEmily Axford,Ally Beardsley,Brian Murphy, Zac Oyama,Siobhan Thompson, andLou Wilson.^[26][27] These seasons are generally between seventeen and twenty episodes in length, and a campaign setting is sometimes revisited in additional seasons. As of 2025, there have been nine Intrepid Heroes seasons:Fantasy High,The Unsleeping City,Fantasy High: Sophomore Year,A Crown of Candy,The Unsleeping City: Chapter II,A Starstruck Odyssey,Neverafter,Fantasy High: Junior Year, andCloudward, Ho!.^[27][28] A 2024Time Quangle live tour in the UK and Ireland also featured the Intrepid Heroes cast and acted as a crossover between the main campaigns. The players drew randomly from their past characters, using bingo machines to set up each show. TheTime Quangle performances were recorded, and were released on Dropout throughout 2024.^[29]

Mulligan acted as the game master for the first four side quests, after which the show started to use other Game Masters for these campaigns, in addition to Mulligan.Aabria Iyengar is the most recurring guest Game Master, having appeared in the role four times.^[30][31] Guest players for Side Quests are generally CollegeHumor alumni or cast members of other actual play shows, however, there are exceptions such asDungeons and Drag Queens, which featured notable contestants fromRuPaul's Drag Race.

Key

Symbol	Meaning
*	Intrepid Heroes campaign; DM Mulligan
^	Side quest campaign; DM/GM Mulligan
§	Side quest campaign; GM Iyengar
Δ	Side quest campaign; other GM/DM
DM/GM	Cast member is thedungeon master orgame master of a specific campaign
	Cast member appears in a specific campaign
Live	Cast member appears only in one or more live episodes of a specific campaign

Main and recurring cast appearances by campaign

Campaign Cast member	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
	*Fantasy High	^Escape from the Bloodkeep	*The Unsleeping City	*Fantasy High: Sophomore Year	^Tiny Heist	*A Crown of Candy	^Pirates of Leviathan	*The Unsleeping City: Chapter II	^Mice & Murder	§Misfits and Magic	^The Seven	ΔShriek Week	*A Starstruck Odyssey	ΔCoffin Run	§A Court of Fey and Flowers	*Neverafter	ΔThe Ravening War	^Dungeons & Drag Queens	^Mentopolis	§Burrow's End	*Fantasy High: Junior Year	^Never Stop Blowing Up	§Misfits and Magic Season 2	^Dungeons & Drag Queens Season 2	^Titan Takedown	*Cloudward, Ho!
Main cast — "Intrepid Heroes"
Brennan Lee Mulligan	DM	DM	DM	DM	DM	DM	DM	DM	DM		DM		DM			DM		DM	GM		DM	GM		DM	DM	DM
Emily Axford
Ally Beardsley
Brian Murphy
Zac Oyama
Siobhan Thompson
Lou Wilson
Recurring cast
Erika Ishii
Matthew Mercer																	DM
Ify Nwadiwe
Rekha Shankar
Mike Trapp
Lily Du
Griffin McElroy	Live
Aabria Iyengar										GM					GM					DM			GM
Carlos Luna
Danielle Radford
Isabella Roland
Becca Scott										Live
Alaska Thunderfuck
Bob the Drag Queen
Jujubee
Monét X Change
Alex Song-Xia

Thecampaigns use theDungeons & Dragons 5th edition system, with Brennan Lee Mulligan as theDungeon Master (DM), unless otherwise stated. The DM orGame Master (GM) also createshouse rules that alter therole-playing game system the campaign is using.

Dropout has released multiple one-shot adventures, in addition to their full-length campaigns. Four have been extensions of theFantasy High campaigns, includingDimension 20: Fantasy High! Live! at The Bell House (with Brian David Gilbert),^[77][78]Fantasy High LIVE at RTX Austin (with Griffin McElroy),^[79]College Visit (RTX @ Home Live),^[80] andBoys' Night! (Roll20Con),^[81] while two have been continuations ofMisfits & Magic, consisting of theMisfits & Magic Holiday Special^[53] andMisfits & Magic Live at GenCon 2022 (Iyengar as GM, with players Noxweiler Berf, Michelle Nguyen Bradley, Markeia McCarty, Becca Scott).^[82]

A series of six live non-canonicalDimension 20 events titled "Time Quangle" was held inIreland and theUnited Kingdom in April 2024. At the start of each live show, performers (the "Intrepid Heroes") rolled dice to determine the characters and setting, pulling randomly from five pastDimension 20 campaigns:Fantasy High,The Unsleeping City,A Crown of Candy,A Starstruck Odyssey, andNeverafter.^[83][29][84] Dropout recorded each performance and released them in late 2024 as a six-episode non-canonical "Time Quangle" series.^[83]

A performance atMadison Square Garden entitled "Gauntlet at the Garden", continuing the story ofThe Unsleeping City, occurred on January 24, 2025.^[4][85] As the venue's ticketing is managed byTicketmaster, asurge pricing algorithm meant that tickets were briefly selling for thousands of dollars, at higher prices than comparableTaylor Swift tickets.^[85][26]Dimension 20 issued a statement afterwards, indicating that they had been unaware Ticketmaster was operating its dynamic pricing system for the venue, and that they had opted out of that system for all future events. Given that 15,000 tickets sold in four days, the event was expected to be the largest actual play show in the United States.^[86][87][26]

A live event set in the world ofFantasy High called "Battle at the Bowl" took place on June 1, 2025 at theHollywood Bowl in Los Angeles; it was billed as acanonical event during which either Fabian Seacaster or Chungledown Bim would die.^[88]The Battle At the Bowl was released on Dropout on November 12, 2025.^[89]

The dome set viewed from the outside duringFantasy High (2018)^[90]

The set forA Starstruck Odyssey (2022) which uses curved walls^[91]

In the late 2010s, the format pioneered byCritical Role — with the cast performing live in a full table multi-camera composite — had come to dominate actual play.Dimension 20 does not, however, follow this convention, but rather alternates between several cameras, which are presented full screen.^[92] With a typical episode runtime between two and three hours,Dimension 20 episodes also tend to be shorter thanCritical Role episodes.^[4] The players were originally surrounded by a coloredgeodesic dome, with lighting adjusted scene by scene or images projected on its panels.^[92][90] Mulligan explained that "the idea of having the polyhedral dome as the center set piece of our set is an homage to the sort ofpolyhedral dice that make up a lot of these role-playing games".^[90] He described it as a "crystal cave" that "can go from a frosty fantasy feeling" to "more of aFortress of Solitude, Sci Fi vibe", which allows the show to shift genre as needed.^[90] In 2020, a new set was constructed that utilizes curved walls, though it is still colloquially referred to as "the dome".^[91]

In an interview, director Michael Schaubach highlighted that Kenny Keeler, the originaldirector of photography, started with a Danadolly and that "in the years since, Schaubach has overseen the quest for a different, even more articulable jib, updated cameras, an LED projection system that can add shadows and animation onto the walls of the set, and, inBurrow's End, audio recordings presented as artifacts".^[93] Graham Sheldon, the director of photography forNeverafter (2022), stated that they typically used five cameras when filming the campaign with a setup that allowed closeup overhead shots of the maps and miniatures. Sheldon commented that while there is pre-planning to give "everyone a good sense of where things might go" during filming, the improvisational aspect of the show often required people "to hop on additional cameras to follow the action".^[94] Sheldon also highlighted that the director tracked "moments in real time that might be a good insert moment later for the minis" and "DP Kevin Stiller was able to shoot the mini closeups as a2nd unit, occasionally while the main season was still filming in parallel".^[94] Multiple episodes are generally shot back to back, with editing taking place over several days for the batch. The format does add cost to the production, but the approach allows for the removal of pauses and the inclusion of post-production elements such as character art, illustrations, and footage of the battle terrain.^[92]

MostDimension 20 campaigns use theDungeons & Dragons 5th edition system; however, several have used otherrole-playing game systems such asKids on Bikes.^[95][96] In 2024,Dimension 20 used a newhome-brewed system for the 22nd campaign, both of which were titledNever Stop Blowing Up. This system is based onKids on Bikes.^[69][97] This system was then further customized, as theNever Stop Making Magic system, for the second season ofMisfits and Magic.^[72]

In November 2024, Dropout released theNever Stop Blowing Up system for free on their website. The game system was designed primarily to work well for their filmed actual play show with less focus on game balance. On the usability of the system,Dimension 20 producer Carlos Luna stated, "We're not game designers. This is not a system that will stand the test of time. Hell, you'd be lucky if it lasted one whole session. But, I will say I think that would be a really fun session".^[98]

Fantasy High: Extra Credit is a show that discusses the specifics about the first season,Fantasy High. Beginning withA Crown Of Candy, Dropout began airing aDimension 20 Q&A and talkback show calledAdventuring Party, in which the cast discusses the most recently recorded episode. The first four seasons were all filmed remotely and aired live following the release of the episode ofDimension 20 which aired that week, where fans submitted questions for Mulligan and the cast to 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.^[99]

Dropout also produces the supplementary showAdventuring Academy, which discuss elements of role-playing.^[34]

In January 2024, Dropout released abehind-the-scenes documentary titledThe Legendary Rick Perry and the Art of Dimension 20, which focuses on the work done by the show's production designer and creative producer Rick Perry.^[93][100]

CBR 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.^[43] The show has also been praised for its positiveLGBTQ representation, with multiple characters exploring their sexualities during the first two seasons ofFantasy High.^[34]

Glen Weldon, forNPR 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".^[101] Weldon compared the show toCritical Role and highlighted that the cast is "sketch and improv comedians. While the folks at Critical Role are often very funny, they're actors. ... AtDimension 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".^[101] Moises Taveras, forPaste in 2023, also highlighted the improvisational nature of the show and how the game mechanics of dice rolls "setsDimension 20 apart from the rest of TV".^[8] Taveras stated that "I can't predict a thing that's going to happen thanks to the insanely successful marriage of this mechanic to the cast's improvisational skills. There's nary a moment, whether it be a rousing victory or an utter defeat, that doesn't propel these characters forward in some way and carve out a unique, player-driven story. And because they are improvised rather than written, the characters feel like authentic people, even if they are fanciful in nature".^[8]

In 2023, Lauren Coates ofPolygon highlighted how the anthology format allowsDimension 20 to reinvent itself and span "a vast variety of genres, styles, and tones" with their seasons "consistent in their ability to deliver across comedic, narrative, and emotional fronts".^[102] Coates commented that "as funny as the series is, it isn't justDimension 20's sense of humor that makes it so beloved; it's the consistently heartfelt, poignant storytelling that accompanies it. There's incredible emotional depth to each new world ofDimension 20, as players and game masters collaboratively craft thoughtful, absorbing arcs tailored to each player and character".^[102] In 2024, Christopher Cruz ofRolling Stone opined that "one of the most unique aspects ofDimension 20 is the creative way in which they frame their campaigns" and that "the unique pop cultural spins on each story that push the diversity of storytelling, with many campaigns functioning as parodies of famous fantasy classics".^[25] Cruz also highlighted that it is not only "the familiar narrative hooks" which make the show "so accessible" but also "its strong focus on diverse voices and socially relevant themes woven into the framework. Cast members and characters feature representation across the BIPOC and LGTBQ communities and stories told are often deeply personal and affecting".^[25]

Academic Emma French, in a essay onThe Unsleeping City campaigns, explained that the players are "explicitly 'heroes,' not 'adventurers'", who defend their home of New York City (NYC) – Mulligan's fictional NYC is similar to the real world but it also has "innate magic, powered by the diversity of the city's residents and, conversely, their lack of sleep, resulting in a surplus of powerful dream energy. Mulligan's worldbuilding stresses the power of a diverse but overworked and atomised urban population, literalising contemporary American social issues through fantasy".^[103]: 132 She highlighted Mulligan's use of "supernatural threats" which "upsetintrusion fantasy's inherent paradigm, even as they utilise its structural techniques", and noted that "the enemies the heroes face are always tied back to a particular kind of status quo: they embody established facts of 20th and 21st Century USA".^[103]: 135 French stated that the worldbuilding by Mulligan "supports the reading of modern life as disillusioned and disenchanted—somewhat paradoxically, for anurban fantasy which ascribes fantastical power to disillusionment itself" and Mulligan's subversion of the intrusion fantasy framework is an argument "that the established status quos of the 21st century should not be defended from chaos and disruption, but instead acknowledged as corrupted, then challenged and overturned".^[103]: 146 French also highlighted that the "cast's performance of compassion and resistance, with Mulligan's authorial endorsement, shapes the plot towards ahopepunk resolution to the disenchantment represented through Mulligan's worldbuilding".^[103]: 147

Justin Carter, in a review ofA Starstruck Odyssey forGizmodo, stated that "the consistency with whichDimension 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".^[104] 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".^[104] Carter commented that this season has an infectious joy to it and that it takes the "fun to new, cosmic heights".^[104]

Rowan Zeoli, in a review ofDungeons and Drag Queens forPolygon, commented that the season "embraces the LGBTQ+ community in no uncertain terms" and that "in a time when the LGBTQ+ community is under constant attack,Dungeons and Drag Queens is a beacon of nerdy, queer joy".^[61] Zeoli highlighted that the cast "experiences the range of emotions your first D&D campaign can evoke" with the season offering "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. One could watch these four episodes, along with a few episodes ofAdventuring Party, and walk away with a basic grasp of the game".^[61]

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