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[[quoteright:300:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marge_gamer.png]]]]

->'''Fat Neil:''' So you guys suddenly wanted to play ''Franchise/DungeonsAndDragons''?\\
'''Troy:''' Yeah. Why wouldn't we? ''[the study group joins in with affirmations]'' It's cool. And when you play it, it makes you happy, like a dragon.
-->-- ''Series/{{Community}}'', "[[Recap/CommunityS2E14AdvancedDungeonsAndDragons Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]]"

The characters act in an episode emulating a role-playing game, either mirroring a [[TabletopGames tabletop game]] or WesternRPG, {{JRPG}}, or {{MMORPG}}. Either they're playing as in-game characters, having some imaginative dream sequence, or the normal MedievalEuropeanFantasy sequence gets derailed by it. Due to the popularity of specific forms of [=RPG=] in certain regions, it's common to see Western media referencing ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' or ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', Eastern media referencing ''VideoGame/RagnarokOnline'', and Japanese media referencing ''VideoGame/DragonQuest''. That said, it's more than possible to see references to any type of RPG, no matter the work's country of origin, and some creators are more than willing to shout-out more obscure games.

Note that this is different from shows that are ''adapted'' from an RPG (that's TheAnimeOfTheGame, which is also inclusive of Western examples such as the ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons1983'' cartoon), or works that revolve around a FictionalVideoGame like ''Franchise/DotHack'' or ''Anime/SwordArtOnline''.

An RPG Episode will almost always be DeepImmersionGaming, and if it's an [=MMORPG=] one, will inevitably introduce us to UltimateGamer386 (be they a main character or the episode's antagonist).

Compare CampaignComic, where the entire comic's FramingDevice is a TabletopRPG campaign.

----
!!Examples
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' has a [[spoiler:fake]] RPG ''arc'' in the form of the Greed Island arc.
* The second episode of ''Anime/SasamiSanGanbaranai'' has Sasami, Kamiomi and the Yagami sisters playing an MMO...until they get sucked into it.
* The second episode of ''Anime/MagicalShoppingArcadeAbenobashi'' pulls this off wonderfully, and it's one of the few shows where not only is this episode fully canon (none of that "it's a dream" crap), it's also totally important to the plot.
* ''Literature/WelcomeToTheNHK'', where the main character's newest bad habit was playing ''[[LawyerFriendlyCameo Ultimate Fantasy]]'' ("Welcome to the Taru Taru").
* Gaming {{Otaku}} Hare in ''[[Anime/HareGuu Hare+Guu]]'' gets sucked into playing one, figuratively and literally, dubbed ''[=AmeQuest III=]''.
* ''Manga/LoveHina'' did a dream sequence version, where the RPG roots were more emphasized in the animated version.
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'':
** Some of the magical mechanics are explained this way to the students. The newest adaptation is especially fond of these, replacing hexagonal speech balloon sequences with dungeon maps complete with status screens.
** In fact, the manga tends to have many refernces to [=RPG=]s, particularily when Haruna learns about magic. She often mentions wanting to up her level and in one part complains that a monster is too high level for them to fight.
** The Mundus Magicus feels a lot more like an RPG than perhaps is good for it, and the overall concept is evocative of the plot from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance''. In some regard, this could be called an example of an RPG series.
* ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'' did an entire episode where the suspect for Lil' Slugger sucked the two investigating policemen into his delusion that the entire world was a ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' video game, complete with Creator/AkiraToriyama-based ArtShift.
%% * One of the ''Manga/SquidGirl'' [=OVAs=] contains one.
* ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler''
** In a filler episode, [[ThoseTwoGuys those three girls]] are sucked into an old RPG and forced to find the final boss.
** Volume 6 of the manga had an RPG mini-arc where Hayate, Nagi, and a few others entered a dungeon beneath a church to find a medal to help Hayate get his "butler" status back after losing a race. Yukiji-sensei came along, actually claiming to be [[Literature/RecordOfLodossWar Deedlit]].
** This showed up in the second series as well.
* ''Manga/HereIsGreenwood'' ran its cast through ''Here is Devilwood'' an obvious RPG pastiche (which made it as one of the OAV episodes). Though it was explained that they were making a movie.
* ''Anime/{{Gestalt}}'' OAV 1. The main character can, for a while, speak only in RPG-style blue text boxes.
* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
** In the [[Manga/YuGiOh manga]] (and the [[Anime/YuGiOhFirstAnimeSeries the first Toei series fans like to call "Season Zero"]]), Yugi and his friends were playing a Tabletop RPG against Bakura (or, as it turned out, the [[SplitPersonality evil alter-ego]] living in his Millenium Ring, who became a literal KillerGameMaster). [[spoiler: This happens ''again'' during the final arc of the manga: what the Pharaoh and company think is the world of his memories, or possibly time travel, turns out to be a Tabletop RPG game set up by Bakura. They play a similar game in the animated version, but it was less of an RPG board game with defined rules and more of an interactive TV screen featuring the past, as the anime version is focused on the card game and not games in general.]]
** The [[Anime/YuGiOh anime]] has a short story arc lasting roughly three episodes in which the main characters played a virtual reality video game RPG against the "Big 5" Board of Directors for control of Kaiba Corp.
* ''Manga/GhostSweeperMikami'' has an chapter/episode where the protagonists are sucked into a possessed {{RPG}}.
* ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'':
** The anime episode "Mysterique Sign" only has one scene like this, but it includes TurnBasedCombat, attack calling and all the characters standing spaced out in a line. Lampshaded when a scarab flies by and heals the "boss" (a giant sort-of-cave cricket) with a text box showing up and everything.
** This trope is played out in its entirety in the original novels with the short story ''Haruhi Suzumiya Theater''.
* Konata from ''Manga/LuckyStar'' often plays an (unnamed) MMORPG in her spare time, but in the anime it's never actually shown what's on her screen as she plays. The OVA, however, has one segment where Konata, Nanako and the Hiiragi twins play the RPG together, and they're [[DeepImmersionGaming depicted as their game characters for the whole segment]].
* ''Manga/ToLoveRu'''s "Trouble Quest" arc. The girls end up with decent classes, but Rito, ever the UnluckyEverydude, gets Florist. It has its advantages.
* ''Anime/ExcelSaga'' had an episode emulating a dating sim being played by Il Palazzo, whose decisions in the game affected the show's characters.
* One of the ''Anime/{{SD Gundam|Force}}'' [=OAVs=] features the main characters from the first three Gundam shows in a parody of fantasy [=RPGs=]. It even shows the characters HP going down when they get hit. The later ''Knight Gundam'' [=OAVs=] are basically a ''slightly'' more serious version of this.
* ''Literature/MagiciansAcademy'' had one that even had an ArtShift to little 8-bit sprites for the characters.
* In episode 2 of the ''Anime/KujibikiUnbalance'' OAV, one of the contests is a dungeon crawl, complete with MediaNotes/RolePlayingGameTerms. In a ShoutOut to ''VideoGame/NetHack'', one of the teams is accompanied by a cat, who at one point eats a dead enemy.
* ''Anime/PaniPoniDash'' lampoons everything else, so why not [=RPGs=]? The art changed to a more chibi, Dragon Quest-ish format complete with text boxes and fake stat gains in silly statistics.
* ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'':
** The series does this during the Owee arc where they're in a virtual reality RPG. Gintoki gets poisoned and can't move while Kagura goes to fight the Final boss... just to get a generic flower for said poisoning. Did we mention they were ''using [=NPCs=] as weapons'', and when they actually removed the helmets Gintoki saw they pretty much nearly killed the audience and were choking Shinpachi?
** In a other episode, the main characters join the MMORPG [[BlandNameProduct Monkey]] [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter Hunter]] in an attempt to locate some aliens who turned them into screwdrivers.
** The Yorozuya get their RPG on again to fight a virus infecting Tama. The Party meets the Leukocyte King and finds out that getting turned into an 8-bit pixel sprite is probably one of the worst things that could possibly happen.
* Episode 13 of ''Manga/{{Chobits}}'' features a MMORPG played by Hideki and friends.
* ''Manga/{{Superior}}'' has a chapter where Exa must climb a tower in order to obtain a new sword while defeating/running away from the chasing skeletons (HilarityEnsues). In the first chapter the monster the group encounters have their HP displayed for comedic purposes (HP 1/1).
* First part of the second half of the anime, ''Literature/KazeNoStigma'' does this both in canon and as a plot point, except it's [[spoiler:actually people summoning and binding demons onto themselves under an internet page telling them that it's a real-life MMO. Who says [=LARPing=] is for sissies]]?
* ''Manga/WotakoiLoveIsHardForOtaku'':
** The manga has several chapters where the four main characters play an MMORPG together, even though one of them isn't much of a gamer and the biggest gamer isn't a fan the genre. The avatars reflect their personalities: Narumi is a cute Elf assassin, Hanako is a sexy mage, Tarou is a stolid swordsman, and Hirotaka is a high-level archer with joke equipment. The session plays out as an extension of their offline interactions, bickering and all, that culminates in gamer Hirotaka practically one-shotting a rare monster that had threatened the other three with a TotalPartyKill. Later chapters reveal that Kou plays the same MMO as a high-level gunner, and Naoya later joins her as a CatBoy who starts off as very weak since he's not used to playing video games in general.
** Lampshaded in episode 7, whose cold open shows a chibi version of Tarou defeating an enemy monster. The narration assures the viewer that yes, they are still indeed watching the slice-of-life anime ''Wotakoi'', and the RPG segue is not a mistake.
* In the fourth volume of ''Manga/HoukagoPlay'', the couples from previous volumes get together and play a tabletop RPG.
* Chapter 2 of the ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' light novel spin-off centers around Shirogane, Ishigami, Kashiwagi, and Tsubasa trying out [=LARPing=] for the first time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In the '80's, [[ComicBook/ChickTracts Jack Chick]], a maker of SoBadItsGood extremist Christian ComicBooks came out with one entitled "Dark Dungeons". Though ironic worship of Jack Chick in general has developed into a cult of sorts, "Dark Dungeons", specifically, has inspired countless parodies within Geekdom. Google the phrase and you'll see.
** This one was adapted into a live-action film, with the approval of Jack Chick himself. However, the acting and dialogue are so over-the-top it's hard not to see it as a tongue-in-cheek StealthParody.
* From the ''ComicBook/DisneyMouseAndDuckComics'' universe, there's the comic story ''"The Black Orb"''. Donald, Goofy, and Mickey are playing a role-playing game as, respectively, [[FighterMageThief a cowardly fighter, an inept mage, and a snarky thief]] to take back a magic orb from an evil wizard. The whole thing ends with Donald cracking under pressure during the climax and Mickey ultimately saving the day, but after Mickey and Goofy go home, Donald reimagines the ending with himself as a MartyStu.
* ''ComicBook/SunnyvilleStories'' has the story "Games People Play" with Sam's cousin, Eddie, holding a fantasy game session with Rusty, Sam, Sam's little brother Jason and young Donny Hopper. It's interrupted by Rusty's mom and Donny's mom, who have forbidden their sons to play such games.
* In ''ComicBook/TheMazeAgency'' #22, Jennifer and Gabe enter the world of dungeons, dragons, and death when Tony Hawthorne, a young player of a popular role-playing game is found murdered--just hours after his character was killed. The trail leads to Gameco, the gaming company where Tony had worked.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* This is the plot of the ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' fan VN, "Witches and Woodlands". A major theme of the story is how being a good GameMaster means not just knowing the rules, but also being able to craft a rich, compelling game world for the players to enjoy.
* Done in the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic ''[[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/02/story-ponies-play-d.html Ponies Play D&D]]'', years before the show [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E18DungeonsAndDiscords actually made an episode about it]].
* The ''Fanfic/TimeFixersNicktoonsOfTheFuture'' episode "World of Weirdos" has Tammy and Tommy getting trapped in their favorite virtual MMORPG called "World of Cyborgs and Dragons".
* ''Love Is a Mystery'', the twelfth installment of ''Fanfic/SkyholdAcademyYearbook'', has two separate instances of [[Franchise/DragonAge Varric]] acting as the game master for his friends as they play ''Gatehouses and Ghouls''. Being something of a MetaGuy, he deliberately invokes a number of tropes, starting with YouAllMeetInAnInn.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Similar to ''Dark Dungeons'', the slightly less silly novel ''Mazes and Monsters'' by Rona Jaffe and the [[MadeForTV TV Movie]] adaptation sought to impress on us an {{Aesop}} about getting too wrapped up in fantasy. Jaffe based the novel loosely on a true story. While [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dallas_Egbert_III#Egbert_incident James Dallas Egbert III]] was indeed a player of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', the tunnel event was totally unrelated to the game and actually involved his first suicide attempt due to depression from academic pressure and drug addiction.
* Similarly, ''Literature/{{Hobgoblin}}'' shows a boy who gets too wrapped up in his roleplaying game and the effect it has on him. Like ''Mazes and Monsters'', it implies that All {{RPG}}ers Are {{LARP}}ers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** In season six, the Nerd Herd first decided to embark on a life of crime while in the middle of playing ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Their abuse of their many talents calls to mind power-gamers.
** There was a scene in one of the last episodes where it sounds like the characters are planning out their attack and it turns out that they're playing ''D&D''.
** D&D figured into a couple of ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episodes as well, with the rich guy Angel helped in season 1, who was also a big time D&D player.
* In the ''Series/CrossingJordan'' episode "Strangled", Jordan and the gang solve a historical murder by role-playing it. This was in season two, of course, when that sort of thing happened every week -- but not usually for the entire episode.
* In ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'' one of the cool "freaks" finds out he likes to play ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' with the "geeks". The geeks, in turn, feel they have their very existence validated by this discovery.
* One episode of ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' has Ted ask a girl out while playing ''World of Warcraft''. They showed a bulky knight in armor talking to a girl in a bikini. The joke is that Ted's character is the girl in the bikini.
* ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'' has an episode where Gordo became addicted ([[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything almost literally]]) to an RPG called "Dwarflord".
* ''Series/{{Community}}'':
** An interesting version happens in the second season episode called "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" where Jeff and the gang try to help clinically depressed Fat Neil by playing a game of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' with him. There's no DeepImmersionGaming; almost the entire episode consists of the gang sitting around a table playing the game. However, this is contrasted with epic music and a hammy narrator, neither of which would sound out of place in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''. The episode as a whole is an AffectionateParody of fantasy tropes in general. Also, seeing as so often portrayals of the game show it being addictive/dangerous/Satanic, as this very page can attest to, it was a breath of fresh air to see it portrayed as a way to ''help'' someone.
** The fifth season episode "Advanced Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" sees the Save Greendale committee try to use a session of D&D to reconcile criminology professor Buzz Hickey with his estranged older son. Instead, they [[BreakingTheFellowship split into two competing groups]] as the Hickeys sublimate [[LikeFatherUnlikeSon their personal issues]] into their characters—Tiny Nuggins, a {{H|obbits}}alfling Thief (father) vs. Tristram Steelheart, a [[ChurchMilitant Holy Cleric]] (son).
* The main characters of ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'' find themselves in a virtual-reality version when Fargo is trapped within the game. In an interesting twist, the events of the game prove to be affected by the thoughts and fears of the players.
* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'':
** "The Barbarian Sublimation": Penny gets hooked on ''VideoGame/AgeOfConan''. When she gets too into it, Leonard enters the game and tries to reason with her. She chops off his head. Penny finally quits when she finds herself accepting a date with Howard's character, "Sir Howard of Wolowitz."
--->'''Penny:''' ...oh, my God, I need help.
** "The Hot Troll Deviation": Bernadette breaks up with Howard because his ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' character went out with "Glissinda the hot troll". Glissinda turned out to be [[ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet a fat guy from facilities management]].
** "The Zarnecki Incursion": Someone hacks Sheldon's ''WOW'' account, and the guys find the culprit and set out to confront him, treating it as a quest.
** The guys are often seen playing the fictional CollectibleCardGame ''Mystical Warlords of Ka'a''. One episode has them playing the ExpansionPack [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot "Wild West and Witches"]].
** In one ChristmasEpisode, the guys opt to play a special Christmas-themed D&D quest narrated by Leonard to rescue Santa Claus. It's notable in that Sheldon finally reveals his (fairly valid) reasons for disliking Christmas, ultimately betraying his friends to leave Santa to a grisly fate. Father Christmas was not amused.
** In "The Love Spell Potential", Penny, Bernadette and Amy miss out on a Vegas trip. So they join the guys in a game, which ultimately ends up with Amy quitting when it is used as an opportunity to mock her and Sheldon's relationship.
** "The Fermentation Bifurcation" see Sheldon playing a game solo with Bernadette when her pregnancy causes her to be left out of the group's normal activities for the night. Doubles as a PetTheDog moment for Sheldon in that he specifically designed the game to help Bernadette take a break from her condition by roleplaying as someone who could enjoy a platter of sushi, some good liquor, a professional massage, and beating down some opponents in combat.
* ''Series/ForeverKnight'' had Nick being pulled into an MMORPG in order to find the killer with 'The Games Vampires Play'.
* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' spent two episodes dealing with a killer who played Second Life. The main episode was "Down The Rabbit Hole," and Mac had to go into the game to try and find info on the victim and the killer, who was finally caught several episodes later in "DOA for a Day."
* ''Series/TheITCrowd'': One episode has Jen instructed to take a bunch of alpha-male business clients out on the town. They want to go to a strip club, so Jen hands off responsibility to Moss to entertain them. Instead, he guides them through a role-playing game. They're confused and annoyed, but after the commercial break, we discover that they've become completely invested in the game and greatly enjoy themselves. At the same time, Moss uses the game to help Roy work through his grief over a failed relationship.
* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' has thrown the Rangers into RPG adventures from time to time:
** In ''Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger'', the Ninningers' grandpa sends them into an RPG as a way to help Nagi figure out which career path he wants to follow. While Nagi plays himself and remains a ninja, the rest of the team "reclasses": Takaharu becomes a warrior, Yakumo is a wizard (naturally, as he already practices magic), Kinji is a knight, Kasumi is a priestess, and Fuuka is an elf.
** ''Series/UchuSentaiKyuranger'': Some of the Kyurangers are trapped in an RPG by the villains, and seem to be assigned classes based on humor value: Lucky is [[WholesomeCrossdresser a witch]] (and his catchphrase is what triggers the fireball spell, leading to a couple {{Magic Misfire}}s), NiceGuy Spada becomes a rough-edged barbarian, TheStoic Stinger is a jester so he [[TheComicallySerious keeps involuntarily breaking into song and dance]], and [[KidHero the kid of the group]] Kotaro is the noble knight. Plus Champ, the big masculine guy of the team, is treated as [[SaveThePrincess the princess]] [[DamselInDistress they need to save]], but he doesn't dress or act the part except as an ImagineSpot.
* The episode "Charlie Rules The World" of ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' focuses on the gang getting hooked on a browser game called ''Techpocalypse''. Dee spends money mostly on cosmetics, Mac loses a lot of fights, Frank has lots of online sex, and Charlie, as the name implies, ends up taking to it LikeAFishToWater and becomes the head of a powerful group. Dennis insists that the game is for people who cannot function in reality, but nearly has a nervous breakdown over not having power anymore.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. Several of the holodeck programs have aspects of role-playing games in a DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything manner. The episode "Heroes & Demons" is probably the closest example, when the Doctor has to enter a simulation of ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'' to find out why several crewmen playing it have gone missing.
* ''Series/YoungSheldon'': In "A Musty Crypt and a Stick to Pee On", Sheldon sets up a ''D&D'' game, but when Tam and Billy don't make it, he has to make do with Missy, Connie and Dale.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* Part of ''Podcast/{{Sequinox}}'' episode 14 takes place in a fantasy-RPG world. Winter's a wizard, Autumn's a rogue, Summer's a fighter, Spring's a druid, and Vivaldi's a bard.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* The "Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep" [=DLC=] for ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' is told through the aforementioned Tiny Tina, along with the Vault Hunters from the previous game, playing a tabletop [=RPG=] while the Vault Hunters from ''2'' beat up a Hyperion informant.
** ''Videogame/TinyTinasWonderlands'' is effectively the Dragon Keep DLC expanded into its own game (along with a bevy of new fantasy-specific features and classes). Once again, the game is focused on yet another campaign run by Tina with a new set of players.
* ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'':
** Somewhat an example, in Chapter 3 Peach goes through a "fake dating simulator RPG" with the Evil Nerd Boss. [[spoiler:but since none of the options you choose change anything, she eventually gets fed up and blows it up anyway.]]
** In the Underwhere, you face a three-headed Chain Chomp known as the Underchomp. It's fought in traditional, turn-based RPG style as opposed to the rest of the game, which is a cross between an RPG and a platformer.
* One quest in ''VideoGame/FableIII'' has your character (voluntarily) shrunken down to the size of a miniature and placed in the tabletop RPG campaign being run by three nerds.
* ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsGame'', along with many other video game parodies, has a level called "Never Quest" where Homer and Marge are in a Fantasy RPG-based world. Homer and Lisa also run through a JRPG based world called "Super Happy Fun Fun Game".
* One of the bosses in ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' is fought in a way that resembles an RPG. It will attack and become vulnerable based on the on screen text boxes. Kirby even gains experience points after the battle (not that it matters).
* In ''VideoGame/WaiWaiWorld 2'', one level is titled "Final Twinbee Quest Gaiden!?" The joke is that it's a ''VideoGame/{{Twinbee}}''-like shmup level, but set in a stereotypical EasternRPG [[OverworldNotToScale World Map]] and dungeon.
* One of the dungeons in ''VideoGame/Persona4'' resembles a dungeon in an NES-era JRPG. The boss of said dungeon resembles a knight character made of giant pixels [[spoiler:concealing a big-brained baby]].
* ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'' has the story ''Round Game'', which revolves around a few of the first-years playing a mobile-based RPG (naturally, since Ensemble Stars is itself a mobile game). Suiting their personalities, [[PrincelyYoungMan Tsukasa]] plays a knight, [[HotBlooded Tetora]] a warrior, [[ShrinkingViolet Hajime]] a bishop, and [[{{Chuunibyou}} Shinobu]] a thief.
* In ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm'', Chloe can optionally play a little of D&D with Steph and Mikey, two other Blackwell students, the former being the game master. Steph returns in ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeTrueColors'', in which she eventually hosts a LARP campaing.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* [[http://bcdecomic.com/comics/96/ One arc]] of ''Webcomic/BecauseImDepressed'' has Ben and Diego revisit an unfinished campaign of [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons "Dungeons & Knockoffs"]] from their high school years, with Eve as their [=DM=].
* ''Webcomic/BitmapWorld'' occasionally has its characters enter an online MMORPG called "''Cosmic Dungeon''", based loosely on ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. Of course, their game avatars look just like their "real" selves, wearing costumes.
* The characters of ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'' have a set of [=RPG=] strips [[http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp12182007.shtml for the holiday season.]]
%% * ''Webcomic/PvP'' had several of those, both with tabletop [=RPGs=] and [=MMOs=].
%% * ''Webcomic/{{Loserz}}'' has this, for both ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' and ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''.
* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' had an arc involving Torg, Riff, and Zoe's addition to an MMO titled ''Years of Yarncraft'' which was essentially an extended ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' parody.
* ''Webcomic/DresdenCodak'' has on two occasions featured Kim and co. playing ''Dungeons and Discourse'', where magic is replaced with philosophy and psychology. Both times, Dimitri turned evil on the rest of the party. And now, the fans have made [[http://dndis.wikidot.com/ a real version]].
* ''Webcomic/SequentialArt'' featured a short story where the characters play Pip's tabletop RPG "Realm of Lorcraft." The Think Tank joined together as a knight, with Art as a mage and Katt as an assassin. The squirrels skipped every turn, making Pip think they were planning some huge mega-spell, but all they ended up doing was immobilizing the Lord of Evil so Art and Katt could win the game while he was distracted.
* While ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'' is a CampaignComic, it inserts some meta-humor by re-interpreting the scene where the droids play a board game with Chewie as [[http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0778.html the player characters playing an RPG in-game]]. The RPG version of ShowWithinAShow, if you will.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* One of the levels of Pikadevil's Hell in ''Roleplay/WeAreOurAvatars''.
* In their yearly AprilFoolsDay gag-sub, TV-Nihon made Series/KishiryuSentaiRyusoulger episode 2 into a giant [=LARPing=] adventure with equal amounts of role-playing jokes to LampshadeHanging over the re-use of ideas and terms from other Dinosaur series.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'': In "Loft in Bedslation", Bob must assist a new Dungeon Master. While Bob, Gene, and Tina don’t connect with the tabletop game, Bob helps a customer learn a lesson along the way.
* The ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' episode "D & DD" involved Dexter and his friends playing "''Monsters and Mazes''"; when Dee Dee asks to join, the guys (who are sick of Dexter's KillerGameMaster attitude) enthusiastically go along with it.
* The ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' episode "Virt-U-Ron" revolved around the fictional MMORPG ''Everlot''.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':
** "[[Recap/SouthParkS10E8MakeLoveNotWarcraft Make Love, Not Warcraft]]" revolved around the boys' obsession with ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', using Blizzard's actual software and one of their developer servers that was being used to develop/test ''Burning Crusade'' to film the in-game scenes, making the episode part {{machinima}}.
** They did ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' in "[[Recap/SouthParkS6E13TheReturnOfTheFellowshipOfTheRingToTheTwoTowers The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers]]", with Cartman as Gandalf, his Fellowship on a quest (to return a pornographic videotape)...
** In "The Black Friday Trilogy", all the kids LARP a ''Series/GameOfThrones''-inspired adventure to see which gaming console would be more popular on Black Friday.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS18E17MargeGamer Marge Gamer]]" revolved around Marge's discovery of an {{MMORPG}} called ''[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Earthland Realms]]'', of which her son Bart is the BigBad known as the "Shadow Knight". Oddly enough, [[ItsASmallNetAfterAll every other inhabitant of Springfield other than Homer is also a subscriber]], and other than Bart everyone seems to mostly just play with the crafting and trade systems ignoring combat entirely.
* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' had an episode that split time with an MMORPG played by Steve and his friends, complete with an ArtShift into a more detailed {{Animesque}} style.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' features this in an episode where the eponymous character and friends are in the attic. In an unusual variation, they're actually playing ''chess''. Or at least, they think they are; they [[GretzkyHasTheBall don't really have any clue how chess is played]]. For one thing, Rabbit think it's supposed to have a magician and refers to every other piece as if there were only one of each -- not unlike an RPG. The episode may also have been a homage to ''Through the Looking Glass''.
* ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'':
** ''[[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 TMNT: Back to the Sewer]]'' has a MMORPG example in the episode "[=SuperQuest=]", where the turtles enter themselves into the video game in order to obtain some of Master Splinter's data bits which had made their way into the games core. Once inside, the turtles go on a quest in order to receive a reward which includes said data bits. Mikey plsyd as a warrior, Leo as a shapeshifter, Donnie as a wizard, Raph as a jester and [[spoiler: Hun as a thief]].
** In [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 the 2012 cartoon]], the Turtles get interested in the tabletop game ''Mazes and Mutants'', but end up getting sucked into an actual dungeon by [[spoiler:another ''M&M'' fan who wanted friends to play with]]. Donatello stayed a wizard as in the '03 cartoon, but Leonardo was a knight, Michelangelo was an elf, and Raphael was a barbarian.
* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' has an episode dedicated to this: "Teacher of the Year." The trio [[spoiler:and Mr. Lancer]] are all big fans of the MMORPG ''Doomed.''
* The Direct-to-DVD ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' movie "Bender's Game" revolved around Bender playing ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' until eventually they find themselves in the fantasy world of [[TrappedInAnotherWorld Cornwood]]. The story's based off ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' but still counts.
%%* One of the very first episodes in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'' was this.
* Pretty much the entire point of ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'''s games. Only the characters assume the roles of the ''antagonists'' of the games, since the User plays as the protagonist.
** A literal example drops down in the episode "Wizards, Warriors, And A Word From Our Sponsor." The game is a fairly typical RPG where the user takes the role of a four person adventure team, necessitating Bob and his friends becoming an opposing one as they race for a magic chalice. Bob is quite upset when he reboots into the game and is turned into a thief, while [[FriendNobodyLikes Mike the TV]] took the role of the warrior.
* The ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers'' episode MMORPD. [[spoiler:Too Bad the game was over as the hero was about to get his kiss]].
* The ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' episode entitled "[[Recap/RegularShowS02Ep12ButIHaveAReceipt But I Have A Receipt]]" depicts the show's characters playing a RPG tableside as well as being mystically transported into the RPG game world for a final confrontation with the [[KillerGameMaster game store owner who sold them the game]].
* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "Dungeons & Discords" has Discord joining Spike and Big Macintosh on their secret "guys' night" activities, which turn out to be a game of ''Ogres & Oubliettes''.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'':
** "[[Recap/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS5E18TheConsole The Console]]" sees all of Elmore turned into a pastiche of [=JRPGs=] by Gumball's new hand-held game system. The characters abuse the SuddenGameInterface, sometimes using it as a NinjaProp.
** They did [[Recap/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS6E32TheMaster The Master]] where Richard makes the family play a role-playing game to stop their arguing.
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': In "Dungeons, Dungeons, & More Dungeons", Dipper bonds with [[spoiler: the Author of the Journals]] over the eponymous tabletop RPG, since Grunkle Stan and Mabel think it's too nerdy and complicated. Then a magical "infinite-sided" die accidentally summons Probabilitor the Annoying, a villainous NPC from the game.
* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaRama'': In "Cody the Barbarian", the toddlers end up in a virtual reality action RPG game.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Trollhunters}}'' episode "[[Recap/TrollhuntersS2E8JustAddWater Just Add Water]]" has the three trolls in Jim's basement talking about violently murdering guards, then it's revealed that they're just playing an RPG. [[spoiler: The next episode, (the same as "Just Add Water" but Steve and Eli's side of the story) reveals that the pair were eavesdropping on this conversation and thought they were speaking ''literally''.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'' has the season two episode "Roll with It", where the A-plot has Glimmer, Bow, and the rest of the Princess Alliance turn a mission planning session into a series of these, much to Adora's frustration.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016'': In "Phantasm Chasm", the sisters and their friend Jared get warped into the world of a tabletop game called "Phantasm Chasm".
* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'': Season 6 Episode 3, "Monsters & Mana", features the team bonding over an Altean equivalent of ''D&D'', complete with character sheet tablets, a holographic board, and 20 sided dice with Altean numbers. While the majority of the episode is shown as DeepImmersionGaming, there are occasional breaks to the real world, as well as an ArtShift to 16 bit sprites, and at one point Allura clicking on a MOBA-esque cooldown timer.

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