Now Season 2 continues the legendary TV adaptation tradition Dungeons and Dragonswhich includes everything from Stranger Things on CommonwealthA beloved episode of “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons,” long considered the gold standard for tabletop on-screen display. But Ted has something that most of these portrayals don't: the guy playing DM is actually one of the best in the world. Shepherd Brennan Lee Mulligan, Dungeon Master behind Dimension 20 (one of the most popular real-world games D&D shows running today) Now Season 2, Episode 4, “Dungeons and Dealers” captures a chaotic spirit Dungeons and Dragons better than his mechanics – but sometimes he follows the rules exactly.
There are a few missteps, but the episode references mechanics, classes, and items with surprising accuracy. Also, since the show is set in the mid-90s, the game you're playing is probably somewhere in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons era, giving the mechanical details an extra layer of specificity worth unpacking. Here's what Now can be proven right and wrong in “Dungeons and Dealers.”
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Everything Ted gets right about D&D
“Dungeons and Dealers” definitely showcases the simpler, more chaotic version of the game players enjoy in real life. However, it is surprisingly faithful to the TTRPG in several ways, especially when it comes to broad strokes. Especially for ADD-an era of play where there are countless differences, big and small, from the current D&D 5E version that fans play today, it's an admirable attempt to capture the spirit of the game.
Who is that character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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Premade characters
For starters, John's much older classmate Chris (Brennan Lee Mulligan) actually casts a pre-made character, and while that may not be everyone's cup of tea, it's generally accurate and good DMing. Character creation is time-consuming, especially for new players—rolling stats, assigning gear, setting skills—and premade games allow you to start a session immediately without too much hassle or confusion. The specified part is also a classic beginner ADD lineup: Mage, Bard, Thief, Cleric and a humble human fighter.
Taking on the role of thief, Blaire has the Backstab ability, which appears later in the episode and is used correctly, indicating that the character sheets were created with real ADD mechanics in mind.
Chris as a legit DM
Chris also exhibits real D&D Dungeon Master behavior throughout: he gets frustrated when players derail his campaign, is extremely proud of his “master” adventure, and immediately improvises when his original party leaves instead of canceling the session entirely. The tension on the railroad between Chris' pre-designed adventure and his players constantly derailing it is one of the most universal DM experiences in the hobby. It also allows Ted (the bard) to distract the enemy rather than force a fight, which is really rewarding from the player's perspective.
Item references are real
There's also a scene that involves a gnomish trader with a real one Dungeons and Dragons items: Healing Potions, Sack, Amulets, and Immovable Rod. That last one is worth mentioning specifically, because while Ted jokes around with it, it's an actual magical item that locks into place in mid-air when activated and holds up to 8,000 pounds. She is known among players for allowing for creative problem solving, which fits the tone of the episode perfectly (although they never actually use it).
Pub opening
Finally, Chris begins the adventure in a “weathered old pub on the edge of a mysterious forest”. The characters scoff at it, but this is a classic “pub start” — one of the most traditional RPG settings for good reason. It provides a neutral place to meet, NPCs for quest hooks, and a natural way to form a party. A joke only works if you know it's a cliché, which means the writers knew exactly what they were referring to.
Most authentic D&D moment of the episode
The most original stroke of the entire episode is that Susan defeats Dral'hul not through combat, but simply by talking to him. Mechanically, boss fights are not resolved, but philosophically, they are completely D&D. Experienced players negotiate with villains, befriend monsters, and constantly talk their way out of combat, and just like Ted's bard tune, it's good D&D DMs reward creativity. The climax, which was resolved with an emotional boost rather than a damage roll, captures the unpredictable nature of tabletop gaming better than any explanation in the rules could.
Where Ted plays fast and loose with the D&D rules
For all the things the episode gets right, it takes just as many liberties. Some are mechanical, some more structural, and at least one that has nothing to do with the rules at all. This is where comedy begins to win over accuracy and the real players can shift in their places.
Combat damage is completely unbalanced
In the episode's final battle against an otherworldly creature named Dral'hul, John's ill-fated magic missile deals three points of damage (the demon immediately shoots him down for 38). IN D&DMagic Missile always hits and scales with the caster's level, so three points is too little, especially when you're up against a monster that deals 38 damage in a single hit, which would be wildly beyond low. D&D the party should face. The numbers work for comedy, but they don't survive the scrutiny of what players would know as a well-balanced encounter.
Players vs. Dungeon Master
In the same scene, Ted declares that he is attacking Chris directly to avoid the encounter. Chris replies that the DM is God and can't be targeted, which is technically wrong – players are attacking NPCs or monsters within the fiction, not the person running the game. That said, bantering about DM combat is a universal tabletop gag, and the show is clearly playing with cultural shorthand rather than rules text, so it gets away with it.
The social setting is actually very un-D&D
This one isn't mechanical, but it's worth a quick mention: almost no one at the table actually wants to be there, which is (at least most of the time) pretty incredible. The group plays under duress to win the drugs, Matty is constantly shunned, and Blaire, Susan, John and Ted have never touched a character sheet in their lives. Because real D&D live and die sessions per buy-in player and disconnected table is a DM's worst nightmare, the fact that a session even existed seems like a fantasy to me.
Dungeons and Dealers paints a decent picture (in more ways than one)
The mechanics are ultimately messy, the damage economy doesn't add up, and nobody really picked Dungeons and Dragons race (maybe Ted is a multiclassing Druid). But the social chaos, the DM's willingness to jump aside, the unlikely hero meta-story; that everything seems completely authentic. D&D it's about the endless stories a group of people can tell together, and in that sense Now it can capture the spirit of the game better than most depictions that try much harder.
- Franchise
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Dungeons & Dragons
- Original release date
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1974
- Designer
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E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
