#i could write a thesis paper on this. my brain loooooves this. my brain loves tearing apart what makes media work

[fatcowboys]

ok im copying what i said in another post abt my personal answer below:

my first answer is it depends and it depends on many, many things, including - is this person familiar with actual play ttrpg shows? are they familiar with ttrpgs in general? what sort of shows and genres do they often enjoy? what kind of time commitment are they prepared to set aside/engage in?

when im introducing someone to a show i take it a little too seriously if i am being honest. i really want them to enjoy it. so if someone is interested in dimension 20 and has watched a lot of dungeons and dragons actual plays or podcasts before, i am going to approach it VERY differently than someone who has never engaged with the media. similarly, if i have two friends who are interested, one who is a fan of lord of the rings esque high fantasy types of genres and media, and one who really has never been a big fan but has LOVED a modern fantasy kind of story, i will likely recommend different seasons.

i know a lot of people who started at the beginning with fantasy high and i definitely see the appeal of starting chronologically, but to me its one of my favorite things about dimension 20 is that it shows the variety and range of ttrpgs as a story telling medium. im definitely biased because i started with unsleeping city myself, but its SO nice having such a range of genres and vibes and casts to hand select something to share with a friend and feel like they will really appreciate it. one friend watched unsleeping city with me when i first got into d20 and didnt get into the rest like i did. but still loved tuc. another friend i got into d20 bc they read those a court of something books (and spent a lot of time bewildered by how wild they were) so of course i HAD to show them a court of fey and flowers and now theyve finished almost four? seasons now?

d20 lets me be a weird media sommelier where i can ask them about the vibe they are into and the shows they watch and then hand select an improvised ttrpg actual play season to suggest based on that. sure i dont always get it right 100% of the time but i LOVE trying to pick something out that they might connect with and really enjoy, whether they end up getting hooked on the show/actual play ttrpgs or not

my second answer is, if nothing in particular seems to call to them or catch their attention. i recommend either unsleeping city or a court of fey and flowers.

poll for my dimension 20 fans okay. obviously i cant include every season as an option so pls use tags for other answers and details BUT....