D&D Play Example
One of my players—who is also learning to be a Dungeon Master—asked what he should actually do to get a campaign started. He’s been playing D&D 5th edition for a few months, and most of his group has even less experience. He wanted to see the game played well, so I pointed him to Deborah Ann Woll’s fantastic series Relics and Rarities.
I haven’t re-watched every follow-up episode to double-check kid-friendliness, but the first one, The Haunting of Bentham Manor, is in good shape. I watched it today and only caught one use of the “sh” word and no other swearing. There’s no blatant sexuality, drunkenness, drug use, or other adult-only content.
It is a horror-themed adventure, so it probably isn’t for the youngest kids—but I’d bet most parents would be fine with their teens or even tweens watching it. As always, parents: check it yourself before sharing it with your kids.
I still remember being awed the first time I saw this. Deborah’s DMing is top-notch, and her players are strong examples—even the ones who clearly haven’t played much before. She was well prepared, with handouts ready and answers for whatever came up. The players stayed focused and helpful, and they played their characters with style.
Most players and DMs can use this two-hour episode as a great model. If you want more, the rest of the campaign is right there: the first 11 videos in this playlist are the full run; the videos after that are short post-session chats with the guest stars.
I think this is every bit as good as Critical Role, without the baggage of adult-oriented content. I wish there had been follow-up campaigns—but we can always hope for more like it.