About Rules as Written

Our Story

It all started at a pub quiz in Beijing. A group of expats, strangers at first, bonded over trivia and discovered a shared love of tabletop gaming. Before long, a D&D campaign was born — complete with homebrew worlds, memorable NPCs, and the kind of chaotic energy only a party of first-time players can bring.

When life eventually scattered the group across different countries and time zones, the campaign didn't end. It adapted. Late-night video calls replaced the physical table, and the dice kept rolling. Somewhere between rules debates about grappling and passionate disagreements over spell components, someone said: "We should record this."

And so Rules as Written was born — a podcast where we break down the rules of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, one chapter at a time. We read the rules so you don't have to (but we think you should). Whether you're a seasoned DM or rolling your first character, we're here to help you understand the game we all love.

The Hosts