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Dungeons & Dragons: The Comeback to Popularity

Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina - Dungeons & Dragons | MyRepublic

In 2019, the most funded film/video project on Kickstarter isn’t based on a TV show, movie or comic book.

That achievement goes to Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina, an animated series based on a weekly live-streamed Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Raising US$11.3 million over 45 days, the project is also one of the top 5 most funded projects in Kickstarter history.

It’s just the latest sign that Dungeons & Dragons (D&D for short) is now bigger and more popular than ever before.

Over the past few years, TV shows like Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ and NBC’s comedy series ‘Community’ have featured the game. Celebrities like Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Stephen Colbert, Joe Manganiello, Anderson Cooper – even Judi Dench – have also “come out” as D&D nerds.

Stranger Things - Dungeons & Dragons | MyRepublic

D&D had a big part to play in Netflix’s Stranger Things

According to Wizards of the Coast, the company that owns D&D, sales of D&D merchandise have boomed: growing by double digits since 2014, with new player handbooks and starter sets a large portion of the growth.

Even casual onlookers who know nothing about how the game works are noticing its increased popularity.

What is Dungeons & Dragons?

Originally published in 1974, D&D is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG). In many ways, it’s the pencil-and-paper basis of modern day computer RPGs where players take on the role of fantasy characters, exploring worlds of sword and sorcery, slaying monsters and looting treasure.

At its core, D&D is a group social activity, one that is part collaborative storytelling and part tactical war game.

Games take place around a table, like a board game, with each D&D player running a character they’d built. Like an actor, they make decisions on how their character would react or what actions they’d take based on that character’s personality and strengths or weaknesses.

Board game - Dungeons & Dragons | MyRepublic

Each game also features a Dungeon Master whose role is to build and manage the fantasy world around these characters, playing both friend and foe and ultimately progressing the story.

The experience is decidedly analogue and personal: D&D started and is still played by many in-person with written notes and physical character tokens. Even D&D games that are played online have players using group live video live chat to talk and collaborate face to face.

It may seem a little ironic how the internet and modern web apps have played a major role in the resurgence of this 45-year old hobby.

The online road to offline entertainment

I first got into D&D about 10 years ago by listening to Acquisitions Incorporated, a podcast by geeky web comic series Penny Arcade that featured the live D&D play sessions of the Penny Arcade crew.

Full of ad-lib humour and quirky larger-than-life characters, Acquisitions Incorporated gave hundreds of thousands of viewers, myself included, a taste of what playing D&D was like.

Penny Arcade’s Acquisitions Incorporated - Dungeons & Dragons | MyRepublic

For over 10 years, podcasts like Penny Arcade’s Acquisitions Incorporated have helped get people interested in D&D

It seemed fun! And more importantly it seemed accessible: one didn’t have to read a 300 page rulebook in order to enjoy the podcast or to be entertained listening to the game.

These sorts of D&D “live play” or “actual play” podcasts, including the immensely popular The Adventure Zone, have helped grow interest in D&D over the years.

According to Dungeons & Dragons senior director Nathan Steward, “over half of the new people who started playing 5th edition [the current version of D&D] got into D&D through watching people play online”.

In more recent years, video-streamed live play web series such as the aforementioned Critical Role have further propelled the renewed interest in D&D. Using live streaming video platform Twitch, the show, whose players are professional voice actors and self-professed nerds, broadcasts game sessions live every week and also puts up past episodes up YouTube.

Actors playing - Dungeons & Dragons | MyRepublic

Critical Role: a group of nerdy voice actors (and good friends) playing D&D

For those who simply can’t find a group of offline friends to play D&D, web services like Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds have been developed specially to host D&D sessions, providing all the features of a web conference call with a collaborative D&D interface: a virtual tabletop if you will.

Roll20 - Dungeons & Dragons | MyRepublic

Virtual tabletop applications like Roll20 (above) give interested D&D players the digital tools to try the game out

Besides allowing those who are interested to find groups and try out the game online, these online D&D services can cost new players literally nothing to play, assuming they already have a computer with an internet connection. Sure a web cam would be ideal but if you don’t have one it isn’t 100% necessary.

And for those of you who need a just little extra help in finding a D&D group, the internet makes it a lot easier to find people with similar interests. You could start with good ol’ Facebook and search for Dungeons & Dragons groups. Or Reddit, with its LFG subreddit, a popular platform for recruiting D&D players. There’s also Meetup if you prefer to play offline and want to find D&D players nearby.

Rather than isolate us, there’s much to be said about how the internet and modern web apps bring people together, even if it just for a fantasy tabletop game with elves, gnomes and wizards.

Privacy Policy

At MyRepublic, we are committed to maintain the security and confidentiality of the personal information held by us. This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes how we look after the personal information we obtain or you provide us with when you use our Website ([insert Card Con URL]), attend Card Con, or correspond with us relating to Card Con.

1. Your Privacy

We will take reasonable care to ensure that your personal information is accurate, complete, up-to-date and stored in a secure environment, protected from unauthorised access, modification, loss or disclosure. 

2. Personal Information

a. “Personal Information” refers to your personal particulars obtained by us in the course of our dealings with you. Personal Information collected may include personal contact details, interests, comments and feedback, and communication preferences.

b. We may use “cookies” or other similar tracking technologies (“Cookies”), when you visit our Sites or use our products and services to distinguish you from other users. Through Cookies, it might also include how you use our Website to help us develop and improve our website, including details of your domain name and Internet Protocol (IP) address, operating system, browser version, cookie details, how long you stayed on a page, the route you took to navigate through the pages and the website that you visited prior to accessing our site.

c. We collect your personal information through the following means: 

– From you directly:
1. Data submitted through our web forms (including registration forms)
2. Data collected onsite during our exhibition(s), this includes personal information and activities
3. Data collected by  employees when in direct communication with persons / organisations

– By automated technologies / services, including:
1. Data gathered from services which use IP address to determine where the visitors to our site originate from
2. Information from actions made by an individual in response to direct marketing campaigns, including when an individual opens any emails or follows any links originating from our email communications
3. Information related to website navigation and usage
4. Data used to provide personalised marketing / user experiences while visiting our sites

– From third party sources, including:
1. Personal information or supplementary information from partners who we engage with in joint marketing efforts
2. Public data sources used to supplement or validate our existing datasets
3. Data services / suppliers used to obtain or supplement our existing datasets
4. Data which has been acquired as part of an acquisition or merger

3. How we use Your Personal Information

a. We may collect and use your Personal Information to:
1. Provide you with information and updates relating to Card Con.
2. Respond to you in relation to any enquiries you may have
3. Produce analytics relating to your usage of our products and response to our marketing activities
4. Improving our services and user experience
And where you have opted-in:
5. Deliver targeted promotional messaging relating to our services

c. MyRepublic will not use your Personal Information for any purpose not permitted by law or beyond the stated purpose you have consented to.

d. The Card Con Website contains links to other sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of other websites. 

4. Who do we share your Personal Information to

a. Apart from our staff, we may share your personal information with third parties to perform obligations or carry out services to us, related to the provision our products or services to you. Those entities may include:
(i) companies related to us;
(ii) our business partners, marketing partners and authorised service providers;
(iii) our professional advisors; and
(iv) our suppliers.

b. We are required to disclose your Personal Information to the parties described above so that they may carry out their obligations to us, and to you. Our disclosure of your Personal Information may, at times, be subject to their privacy policies. To every extent possible, we require these parties to act consistently with the personal information protections we have put in place.

c. We also reserve the right to disclose your Personal Information to law enforcement agencies, government regulators and our professional advisers, to the extent necessary as required by appliable laws.

d. If you post information on any of our Websites or social media platforms, any information on your post, such as your user name, may be seen by other visitors. 

5. How long do we retain your Personal Information

We retain your Personal Information for as long as it is necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, for legal or business purposes of MyRepublic, or as required or allowed by law. We will cease to retain such Personal Data when it is no longer required for the foregoing purposes. 

6. How you can access and update your Personal Information

a. You must ensure your listed customer details are current, complete and accurate. You may correct or update your customer details by contacting our Customer Support.

b. If you require access or a copy of your Personal Information within our possession, please contact us according to Clause 11 and we will assess your request. In some cases, we may impose a reasonable charge for making copies of Personal Information available to you. If so, we will advise you of the charge prior to making the information available to you. 

7. Withdrawing your Consent

a. You may request to withdraw your consent by contacting us according to Clause 11. Your request for withdrawal of consent will take effect within 30 days upon receipt of your request. Please note that use of your personal data may be essential for us to provide the product or service that you subscribed. Therefore, your withdrawal of consent may impair our ability to continue providing the product or service to you. Your withdrawal of consent does not affect our right to continue to collect, use and disclose personal data where permitted or required under applicable laws.

b. If you wish to withdraw your consent to receive marketing messages about our exclusive offers from us or our business partners, please contact our Customer Support or unsubscribe from our newsletter. Your request will be processed within 30 days. Non-marketing messages including product and service updates and notices will not be affected by your consent withdrawal. 

8. Protecting Your Personal Data

We take reasonable physical, technical and administrative steps to help prevent loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure or modification of Personal Information. However, please understand that the transmission of data over the Internet or any other public network may be subject to loss, interception and misuse. We do not represent, warrant or undertake that your Personal Information transmitted through online means will remain secure, and disclaim all liability arising from such transmission. 

9. Overseas Transfers

We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your personal information is treated securely and in accordance with this Policy and the data protection legislation when it is processed in, or otherwise accessed from, a location outside Singapore. In order to ensure the highest level of protection. MyRepublic abides by PDPA data standards. 

10. Cookies

a. Cookies helps us to provide you with a better customer experience, when browsing our Sites. Cookies are small data files and may contain unique identifiers stored on your device by an online site. When you use our Site, we may collect standard information that is sent from your browser to our Website, including technical and statistical information.

b. You can usually choose to set your browser settings to manage Cookies. If you choose to remove or reject Cookies, you may not be able to access all or parts of our Website or services. 

11. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may review, amend or update this Privacy Policy from time to time without prior written notice. Updates to the Privacy Policy will be published on this page. We recommend that your review this page periodically for updates. Your continuous use of our Websites, products and services, will be deemed acceptance of any changes or additions to this Privacy Policy. 

12. Contacting Us

If you have any query or feedback regarding this Privacy Policy, you may contact our Data Protection Officer at: [email protected].

Last updated 26 March 2025 

Card Con – Visitor Terms and Conditions

By registering for Card Con, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms and Conditions.

1. Introduction

1.1 These Terms and Conditions (“Terms“) govern the registration and participation of attendees (“Attendees“) in Card Con by MyRepublic (“Card Con“), organised by MyRepublic (“Organiser“).

1.2 By registering for Card Con, Participants agree to comply with these Terms and the Card Con Privacy Policy.

2. Registration

2.1 Registration for Card Conis free of charge.

2.2 Attendeesmust provide accurate and complete information during the online registrationon the Card Con website at https://myrepublic.net/sg/card-con/ (“Website”) and must present their QR code upon registration at Card Con.

2.3 MyRepublic reserves the right to refuse or revoke anAttendee’sregistration at its sole discretion.

3. Event Conduct

3.1 Attendeesshall conduct themselves respectfully and follow all rules set by the Organiser.

3.2 Any disruptive, illegal, or inappropriate behaviour, including but not limited to harassment, cheating or other misconduct, may result in immediate removal from the Event.

3.3 Attendeesmust adhere to all venue rules and regulations.

4. Intellectual Property

4.1 Attendeesshall not infringe on any third-party intellectual property rights during Card Con.

4.2 Unauthorised reproduction, distribution, or possession of copyrighted or trademarked materials is strictly prohibited.

4.3 The Organiser may take appropriate action against any Attendeefound violating intellectual property laws, including but not limited to removal from Card Con.

4.4 The Organiser disclaims all liability to the Attendees and any third parties for the infringement of laws, regulations, intellectual property rights, and venue requirements by the exhibitors, vendors and Attendees.

5. Liability Disclaimer

5.1 Subject to applicable law, the Organiser, the venue, the vendor,and the exhibitors disclaim all liability for any injury, damage or loss of any kind, including but not limited to personal injury, loss, or damage to property suffered by Attendeesduring the Event, even if it is caused by the negligence, omission, or fault of the Organiser, its employees, officers, agents, or sub-contractors in connection with the Website, or Card Con.

5.2 The Organiser shall not be responsible for any disputes, damages, or losses arising from transactions or interactions between Attendees, or between Attendees and the exhibitors at Card Con.

5.3 Attendeesattend Card Con at their own risk and are responsible for their own personal belongings.

6. Photography and Media Release

6.1 The Organiser may take photographs, videos, or other recordings during Card Confor promotional purposes.

6.2 By attending Card Con, Attendeesconsent to the use of their likeness in such media without compensation.

7. Tournament & Prize Terms (If Applicable)

7.1 Tournament participants must follow official tournament rules and regulations.

7.2 Prizes are non-transferable, and non-exchangeable.

7.3 Any disputes will be resolved by the Organiser or its appointed vendors, and their decision will be final.

8. Amendments and Cancellation

8.1 The Organiser reserves the right to amend these Terms at any time without prior notice.

8.2 The Organiser may cancel, postpone, or modify Card Conat its sole discretion without liability.

9. Governing Law

9.1 These Terms shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of Singapore.

9.2 Any disputes arising from or related to these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Singapore.