Arya Barry

Hey there- it’s Arya.

I’m the Brain and Brawn behind “Pop Up D&D”. A Rochester NY, based TTRPG centered program formed in 2026.

Our goal is to make D&D (and other TTRPGS) more accessible to everyone. We specialize in small, personal table events where your Game Master’s goal is more the player's comfort and enjoyment level than getting stuck in all the rules and semantics.

As a Neuro-Spicy, Queer, Biracial, Girly Pop- I was told so many times that lots of things- chief among them TTRPGs weren’t for me; and people “like me.” That these spaces were designed with someone else in mind. That I was too big, too loud, too annoying and way too girly to join their tables. While that may very well be the case; that Tabletop wasn’t designed for me… I am so glad I never listened. That I kept showing up, rolling dice and taking up space.

We started out as “Girly Pop Up Brunch”- an intro session for Girly Pops who might not get into D&D in a traditional environment and from there we learned there are quite a few underserved demographics in the TTRPG community. For us we found a hole where we could make a home- providing events like “Making things Queer” D&D events, our “Small Fry” events and are building up even more events behind the scenes as well.

TTRPGS have gave me the confidence to always chase my dreams. They have given me the comfort I needed to stay weird, and not let anyone change who I am. They provided me a safe space to explore world building, communication with others and to see what a world might look like if people “like me” were in charge.

That’s the experience and confidence we want others to leave our events with.

If that sounds like your vibe- feel free to come join us for a local session or check out our website to learn more.