Join Farra Nadya as she jumps into the ever-immersive experience of a tabletop roleplay game, Dungeons and Dragons, for the first time in a home-based studio to learn more about the community.

The tabletop set-up for a fantasy-world adventure in the mountains. Photo by Farra Nadya.

Have you ever been so immersed in a fantastical world that you wished you could just experience it in real life? Look no further, and step into the world of tabletop roleplay games. Grab your friends and play a game that combines storytelling, strategy, and a little bit of luck. 

Origin of Tabletop Roleplay Games

Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) first appeared in the United States in the 1970s. Inspired by miniature wargames–tabletop games in which military units are represented by miniature figurines– TTRPG pioneers Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson created ‘Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)’, a game requiring strategy and roleplay in a fantasy world. Its community of players then expanded and adapted the concept of the game to cover different characters, skills, and stories through dice rolls and imagination. 

In Singapore, TTRPGs gained niche popularity in the 1990s, especially among students and game shop regulars. While once seen as primarily Western, the hobby saw a steadily growing local scene. One of the most active local communities is the “Singapore Tabletop Role‑Playing Games (RPGs)” group, hosted on Meetup.com—a platform for organizing in-person interest-based gatherings. As of July 2025, the group has nearly 960 members and regularly hosts sessions featuring systems like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, FATE, and Shadowrun.

TTRPGs as a Players’ Escape

It is truly fascinating how TTRPGs encourage players to tap into their creative side and even release pent up emotions. When players assume a different character and fully immerse themselves in a different reality, they are able to alleviate their work or personal stresses for a while.

We spoke with Ms Aryssa, 27, an active TTRPG player who also works as a behavioural therapist. When asked how these roleplaying games can benefit players, she spoke on how they can help introverted people learn to express themselves in a conducive environment.

“Even for children, we teach public speaking at a very young age. [Similarly], Dungeons & Dragons is a very good platform for adults to practise that, because they do it in a very comfortable environment, while also tapping into their interests.”

Excited players moving their character figurines in a show of combat. Photo by Farra Nadya.

A study by James Cook University supports Ms Aryssa’s claim with results that show how playing TTRPGS once a week for an hour resulted in significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress for players, alongside increased self‑esteem and self‑efficacy.

This viewpoint is also shared by Mr Asyraf, 27, a full-time project manager whose passion for TTRPGs is so strong that he hosts sessions out of his home-based studio. He shared, “When we go about our day to day, we don’t usually get the chance to feel or be creative in what we do. And I feel this is the best way for me to express some level of creativity through my storytelling, and through [creating] the setups.”

Optimising the Immersive Experience

During the 1990s in Singapore, TTRPGs started out as small clubs in Polytechnics and Universities. Over time, they started appearing in board game cafés and dedicated hobby stores, gaining a wider audience through more accessible physical spaces. Multiple groups, each with five or six players, would swarm to these stores and play a myriad of different game systems simultaneously.

One can only imagine how loud these places were from the collectively passionate roleplaying dialogue. Due to this, many players eventually lost interest in the games, as they could not truly focus on, nor connect with the experience. 

“I feel like people can [only] enjoy the game when the immersiveness is clear. Because if there is noise, it breaks off … the immersion,” Asyraf said as he shared about his motivation behind starting a home-based studio.

Levelling-Up the Local Scene

Today, a new wave of Singaporean players and storytellers are reimagining what it means to gather and game in Southeast Asia. 

The TTRPG community has seen rapid growth due to not only Western influence, but also thanks to more local collaboration. TTRPGs in Singapore are seeing a greater local influence as players try to incorporate more situations that they can relate to on a daily basis.

Mr Asyraf posing for a quick picture at his Dungeon Master set-up. Photo by Farra Nadya.

For Mr Asyraf, this means getting to stretch his mind further to cover more Southeast-Asian myths and lore for his game stories. He shared about how he was able to integrate more of such localised stories in some of his horror-themed games.

“I had a couple of sessions where we would run games in Old Changi Hospital or Pulau Ubin. I had one short campaign [which was centred] around Temasek. It was written in a time where people were fishermen and warriors. [Players] got to experience mythical creatures from the Temasek culture.”

Session Adjourned

All in all, there is no doubt that playing TTRPGs is a fun way to put yourself out there and express yourself  with confidence and creativity. If you can’t beat the Geekdom, join it! 

As Aryssa proudly put it, “There’s nothing wrong with being geeky. Geeky is the new cool.” 

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