Dungeons & Dragons is one of the most influential games ever created. Back before we could play MMO games online with friends to connect instantaneously and live out our fantasies or dive into a VR headset to be immersed in virtual worlds, it was all about our imagination. And to this day, D&D offers some of the most potent and engaging storytelling opportunities that you just can’t find elsewhere. The big problem though is that, for traditional pen and paper D&D, you need everyone to be in the same room together.
There are digital options out there like roll20 and you can even play D&D in VR today using things like Altspace or Tabletop Simulator, but those feel like half-measures that aren’t truly custom-made to play D&D in VR. Or in other words, “they aren’t specialized,” as Sky Nite, co-creator of RoleplayU puts it.
As you can see in the video above, Nite and his partner Phil MacEachron created RoleplayU as a way of enjoying a more authentic D&D experience from inside VR headsets. The entire project is open source on GitHub already so anyone can download the source files and add or tweak it as they see fit. Or, you can just download the game build and run it through SteamVR without modding it in Unity.
Prior knowledge of D&D is obviously required — this isn’t an intro experience designed to teach you how to play. It was made in about two months by two friends that just wanted a good VR solution. They’ve also posted some documentation about how to use it as well as a link to the Discord server if you want to become a more active part of the community.
Let us know what you think down in the comments below!
