What do the TTRPG (tabletop role-playing game) community and the LGBTQ+ community have in common, besides long acronyms? It turns out, a whole lot; there is a significant overlap between the two communities!

Tabletop role-playing games, or TTRPGs, are cooperative, narrative-based games typically played with a group. They involve roleplaying, or acting, as characters in a fictional world. The most well-known TTRPG is Dungeons and Dragons (or D&D). The game is currently in its fifth edition and has a plethora of adventures and lore to explore. The setting of D&D is a medieval fantasy world, where magic abounds and humans live with creatures such as elves, dwarves, and orcs. 

Although Dungeons and Dragons has its origins in an exclusive bubble of white cisgender masculinity, the game has grown to not only be inclusive, but has been explicitly adopted by many Queer people. There is a popular show called Dungeons and Drag Queens, where famous drag queens play Dungeons and Dragons together! 

TTRPGs allow Queer people to create an alternative self to explore with. Your character can be any gender, and the world you play in can be free from transphobia and homophobia. These games are avenues to try out new things that you may not be able to in real life, or to work through hard emotions. The only limit is your own imagination, and the imaginations of those you are playing with. In this aspect, it also allows Queer people to build and have fun with a community, often other Queer folks. 

Dungeons and Dragons is not the only TTRPG — they come in every size and flavor you can imagine, from silly one-page sci-fi games to more expansive horror games exploring serious topics like trauma. Anyone can create their own TTRPG, and there are many Queer gamemakers creating games specifically for LGBTQ+ people. Below are a few examples that can be played or tested out for free: 

• Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast: Made by Possum Creek Games, based in Philadelphia, Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast is a slice-of-life fantasy tabletop game about a heartless witch, a peaceful house, and all the folks who have made their home inside. We suggest it if you like Queer found-family narratives! There is a free downloadable play test kit for those who want to test it out, and a larger PDF available for sale with more guests (characters) and adventures. We also have the book for use in the library!
• Lavender Marriage: Lavender Marriage is a short four-player game where you play characters, a Lord and a Lady as well as their lovers, who must navigate society while hiding their queerness and affairs. The title references the term lavender marriage, meaning a marriage of convenience, where one or both of the people involved are actually Queer. This type of arrangement was often a way for LGBTQ+ people in history to maintain their safety and reputation. 
• Be Gay, Do Crimes: Be Gay, Do Crimes is a one-page heist game that's very easy to play. Each character has only two stats, or numbers that they’ll use to determine the success of their actions. The stats are Gay, used for doing anything flamboyant, and Criminal, used for doing anything sneaky. 
• We Made Them Look Like Us: This game is a solo role-playing game meant for one person. It is about transition, the rituals of gender euphoria, and the journeys we take to become who we want to be.

So, now that you’ve learned a little about tabletop role-playing games and why so many Queer people play them, how do you get involved?

• Want to get started with Dungeons and Dragons? This list includes all of the official D&D books. We suggest starting with the Player’s Handbook!
• Do you want to lead a group playing Dungeons and Dragons? Here are some resources for designing your own games and encounters.
• Looking to delve more into other tabletop roleplaying games? Check out a selection from the Free Library catalog.
• Want to read fiction about people who play TTRPGs, or that takes place inside D&D-like worlds? Check out these books!
• You can also join a D&D or other gaming group at the library!
• Already play Dungeons and Dragons? Check out this catalog of extra-special items you can use in your games, inspired by real-life objects from the Free Library's Special Collections.
• And, lastly, be sure to check out all the events happening in June to celebrate Pride month!