PHILADELPHIA — A barbarian, warlock and a sorcerer walk into a bar.

No, this is not the setup for some lame joke, but it is more or less what happened when Dungeons n Drafts — a roving Dungeons & Dragons pop-up that takes over different bars — crowded the back half of Yards Brewing Company on Spring Garden Street in Philadelphia last month.

About three dozen novice and expert Dungeons & Dragons players gathered around communal tables as Dungeons Masters (aka game narrators and rulekeepers) led them through one-shot adventures across mystical forests, cursed farms, and just about every corner of a made-up world where someone always needs saving.

The events are a boon for bars looking for ways to stay busy on slow nights, said Dungeons n Drafts co-founders Thomas and Dezarea Solar, who started the organization in August 2022 to introduce people to the tabletop roleplaying game. About 90% of Dungeons n Drafts’ almost-daily events sell out in the Philly area, the pair said, and the group has added chapters in New Jersey; Delaware; Pittsburgh; New York City; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Asheville, North Carolina.

Tickets cost between $15 and $20 per person, and can fill a bar for three to four hours. But the real magic of Dungeons n Drafts is that it can take the awkwardness out of meeting new people. Strangers are encouraged to strategize and be theatrical, with some players embodying their character by putting on voices and ad-libbing one liners.

“There’s something about DnD that doesn’t happen in other settings. The silliness of playing, like, a dragon-born paladin and using a funny voice relaxes the table and gives people the permission to let their personalities out,” said Thomas Solar. “That doesn’t happen at a singles’ night at a bar.”

Dungeons & Dragons has been around since 1974, sitting comfortably in the pantheon of nerd culture for decades — until the pandemic, when the game took on new life as a way to pass time and connect with your family (or strangers via an online simulator) while shut inside.

Sales of Dungeons & Dragons jumped 33% in 2020 alone, and the game’s publisher told the New York Times that more than 50 million people have interacted with D&D since its inception, including movies, video games, books, and traditional gameplay.

The game can also be healing. Therapists say it can help players become more assertive, get over their fear of mistakes, or better handle confrontation. Teachers use D&D for social-emotional learning, while others have incorporated the game into addiction recovery or PTSD treatment.

Similar benefits hold for Carlos Chevalier, even if he’s only played casually at bars through Dungeons n Drafts. Chevalier attended his first meetup just after Thanksgiving and now goes to two to three per month. His go-to character is a warlock.

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