Baldurs Gate 3 Among Its Players Wiki - Complete Guide

Dungeons & Dragons is a cooperative storytelling game where players describe their actions and roll dice to resolve uncertainty. One person acts as the Dungeon Master (DM), interpreting rules and playing the world. Everyone else builds a character and makes decisions. You do not need a screen, a board, or a video game console—just paper, dice, and people. The game's current relevance is peaking: Wizards of the Coast recently announced an official D&D actual-play series set in the Ravenloft campaign setting, featuring Neil Newbon and Devora Wilde from Baldur's Gate 3 among its cast.

This explainer breaks down what D&D is beneath the pop-culture hype, how its core loops actually function, and how a total beginner can start playing tonight without spending a fortune.

Why D&D Is Dominating the Conversation Now

The announcement that Newbon and Wilde—known for portraying Astarion and Lae'zel in Baldur's Gate 3—are joining an official Wizards of the Coast actual-play series is not just a casting news item. It signals a structural shift in how D&D is marketed. For years, third-party shows like Critical Role or Dimension 20 drove player acquisition. Wizards of the Coast is now producing its own high-profile entry point.

The series is headed to Ravenloft, a gothic horror setting defined by vampire lords and oppressive mists. Newbon will not be playing Astarion, but the casting leverages the massive crossover audience Larian Studios built. If you discovered D&D through Baldur's Gate 3 and are curious about the tabletop origin point, the mechanics below are what you are actually looking for.

The Core Gameplay Loop: What You Actually Do

Video games handle physics and probability in the background. Tabletop D&D puts that math directly in your hands through a d20 system. The core loop operates on a simple sequence:

• The DM describes a situation. "Goblins are charging toward you across a stone bridge."
• A player declares an action. "I cast Thunderwave to push them off."
• The DM determines if a roll is needed. Casting a spell usually requires an attack roll or a saving throw from the enemies.
• The player rolls a 20-sided die (d20), adds a modifier, and the DM compares it to a target number.
• The DM narrates the outcome.

This loop repeats for exploration, social interaction, and combat. The game does not simulate reality; it simulates genre fiction. The rules exist to arbitrate disagreements about what should happen next, not to calculate wind resistance on an arrow.

How Combat Actually Functions

Combat in D&D is turn-based and grid-agnostic, though many groups use maps or tiles. It runs on an initiative system: everyone rolls a d20 at the start of a fight, and those numbers determine the turn order from highest to lowest.

On your turn, you can move, take one action, and potentially take a bonus action. Actions include attacking, casting most spells, dashing, or dodging. The system's underlying tension comes from resource management. Spells are not infinite. A wizard might have three Fireball spells for the entire day. Once those "spell slots" are spent, the character must rely on weaker abilities or a crossbow.

The hidden variable many new players miss: positioning is more important than damage. The game's Opportunity Attack mechanic means moving away from an adjacent enemy triggers a free swing. Learning when to stay still, when to disengage safely, and how to control space is what separates effective players from those who just roll damage dice.

Character Building: Classes, Backgrounds, and Alignment

Your character is defined by a few intersecting layers. The two most important are class and background.

Class determines your mechanical role. A Fighter is durable and makes multiple weapon attacks. A Rogue deals massive burst damage under specific conditions. A Cleric heals and provides passive buffs. A Wizard controls the battlefield with area-of-effect spells. The decision shortcut here: if you want to learn the game's systems without reading ten pages of spell descriptions, play a Fighter or a Barbarian. If you want narrative leverage—spells that let you bypass obstacles entirely—play a spellcaster.

Background is where D&D diverges sharply from video game RPGs. It provides skill proficiencies and roleplaying hooks. A Criminal background gives you proficiency in Stealth and Deception, but it also tells the DM that you have underworld contacts. A well-chosen background gives the DM material to weave your character into the story, which is the fastest way to get more spotlight time at the table.

Alignment (the classic Lawful Good to Chaotic Evil axis) has been mechanically deemphasized in the current edition. It exists as a roleplaying suggestion, not a behavioral constraint. Many tables ignore it entirely.

The DM's Role: Why It Is Not Just "Being the Referee"

The Dungeon Master does four things simultaneously: world-builder, rules arbiter, voice actor, and pacing editor. The trade-off of being a DM is significant. You do not get to play a single protagonist. Your emotional investment is distributed across the entire session. If the players have a bad time, it is usually a DM failure. If they have a great time, the players often get the credit.

The biggest misconception is that the DM is trying to kill the players. In practice, a good DM is the players' biggest advocate—just not their ally. The DM presents fair challenges and lets the dice determine outcomes. Fudging rolls (secretly changing a die result) is a debated practice. Some DMs do it to prevent anticlimactic deaths. Others consider it a violation of the game's core promise: that actions have real, uncertain consequences.

Beginner Guidance: Where to Start Without Wasting Money

The D&D product ecosystem is overwhelming. Here is the decision archaeology for starting options.

Best for: absolute beginners. Buy a Starter Set. These contain pre-generated characters, a condensed rulebook, a set of dice, and a short adventure designed to teach mechanics incrementally. The "Lost Mine of Phandelver" set (from the 2014 edition) is widely considered one of the best introductory adventures ever printed.

Skip if: you already know you want to build custom characters. Starter sets lock you into pre-mades. If your group wants creative control from session one, skip straight to the Player's Handbook.

The free alternative. The D&D Basic Rules are available as a free PDF on Wizards of the Coast's website. They contain enough rules to run a game from levels 1 through 20, covering four classes and a selection of spells. This is a fully playable game, not a demo.

The digital tools question. D&D Beyond is the official digital toolset, now owned by Wizards of the Coast. It manages character sheets, rulebooks, and dice rolls. It is convenient but not required. Physical books and paper character sheets work identically. Do not feel pressured to subscribe before you have played three sessions.

Actual-Play Shows: Entertainment, Not Tutorials

The new Wizards of the Coast series featuring Newbon and Wilde will likely draw thousands of Baldur's Gate 3 fans into the tabletop hobby. This is good for the game's health, but new players need to understand a critical distinction.

Actual-play shows are highly produced entertainment. The players are professional actors or entertainers. The DMs have prepared for dozens of hours. The editing removes dead air, rules confusion, and table arguments. Watching Critical Role to learn D&D is like watching Fast & Furious to learn how to drive. You will absorb the aesthetic, but not the operational mechanics.

If you want to use actual-play as a learning tool, watch smaller streams with fewer production layers. You will see rules being looked up, mistakes being made, and the actual rhythm of a home game.

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