Rivals of Waterdeep

Did You Know?

• The show initially adapted the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist adventure module.
• It has since adapted other official storylines such as Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus.

Production

The success of independent shows like The Adventure Zone and Critical Role inspired Greg Tito, a senior communications manager at Dungeons & Dragons, to create official actual play content. Wizards of the Coast launched Dice, Camera, Action in 2016, which Tito called "insanely popular" and a foundation for connecting with smaller tabletop roleplayers. That ecosystem eventually produced Rivals of Waterdeep. Tito first recruited Tanya DePass, a prominent Chicago-area community voice, then added improv actors and comedians new to D&D content.

Season one's Dungeon Master was Aram Vartian, with players Carlos Luna, DePass, Cicero Holmes, Surena Marie, Brandon Stennis, and Shareef Jackson. After Vartian left mid-season, Luna took over as Dungeon Master; the role now rotates among cast members. In 2020, Marie and Luna departed during season six when they moved to Los Angeles after Marie joined Critical Role Productions. LaTia Jacquise, who debuted as a guest at the 2020 C2E2 live show, became a permanent member.

Holmes left at season six's end. Masood Haque guested on specials before becoming a regular in season seven's premiere. Stennis left after season eight in 2020. Brian Gray and Eugenio Vargas joined in season nine's premiere in 2021.

The show premiered in June 2018 with an episode at the Stream of Many Eyes event, then launched as a full Wizards production later that month. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing measures were implemented. The show streamed from the 2020 D&D Celebration event. Its one hundredth episode aired in July 2021, and season fourteen premiered on October 16, 2022.

Reception

The Guardian, The New York Times, VentureBeat, and Polygon noted Rivals of Waterdeep as part of the trend of actual play shows re-popularizing Dungeons & Dragons, highlighting its cast made up predominantly of women and people of color. G.L. van Os, in an essay in the book Watch Us Roll, wrote that minority voices must be sought out and lifted up to create a more diverse actual play field, and cited Rivals of Waterdeep and Dames and Dragons as diverse shows that had not received as much attention as Critical Role and The Adventure Zone.

Amanda Farough, for VentureBeat, observed that Wizards of the Coast had refined its understanding of actual play's impact on brand awareness and sales; while the company did not share impression numbers, live show viewership increased 49% in 2019, with 15% of total views from live broadcasts and the remainder from video on demand on YouTube. By 2020, Rivals of Waterdeep was the only show from the 2018 Stream of Many Eyes event still airing. Christian Hoffer, for ComicBook.com, called it the flagship show for the Dungeons & Dragons brand in 2020.

In a 2021 article, Hoffer noted the show's longevity was impressive because its characters neared Tier 4 levels, and because its all-people-of-color cast offered important representation. He highlighted the innovation of Dungeon Master rotation, which gave each season a distinct flavor, and noted that while the show incorporated elements of official storylines, it made them its own. The series was included in Syfy Wire's 2019 roundup of high fantasy podcasts and in Screen Rant's 2022 roundup of best D&D livestreams and podcasts.