The sound of dice on a hardwood table, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and notebooks. Finally, the delivery man arrives at the door with four hot and ready Little Caesars pepperoni pizzas.
This is a game of Dungeons & Dragons.
Most people would think D&D is a statistical imagination game for nerds. But as long time D&D player Dave Steeves will tell you, it’s way more than meets the eye.
“Playing the game, can sometimes be like creating a movie. Just getting a bunch of friends together and really bringing out creativity,” Steeves said. “Everyone has their input and everyone’s creative style affects and changes how the game progresses. You never really know what to expect.”
Dungeons & Dragons is like a video game, just strip away the screen, controller, the electronics, and the television.
While it takes a lot of imagination and dice rolling, it’s a social game. Much like playing Monopoly when the power is out, Dungeons & Dragons can bring people together.
“Also, it’s an excuse to get with some friends, drink, and act silly.”
All you need is one or more books, the Player’s Handbook, the Monster Manual or the Dungeon Master’s Guide. It’s a small investment for a game that is literally endless and fueled by you and your friends.
Konnor Bourgeois is a normal guy, he works at Starbucks but plays D&D in his downtime.
“It’s fun to immerse yourself in the world of the game and to have fun with the fantasy of it. Bourgeois said. “Yeah, it’s pretty nerdy, but it’s fun… and nerdy isn’t a bad thing.”
Ok so you may have been lied to, yeah can a bit nerdy, but what if I told you it was an educational tool too?
Alex Corbett is an executive in the St. Thomas Adventurer’s Guild.
“It’s one of the only ways to tell a story where the audience gets to participate, it’s a collaborative game,” Corbett said.
Think of D&D like a group assignment that is actually fun. Not the crap where two people in the whole group do all the work. With D&D everyone works, but it’s about having fun and joking around. And you can do one thing that you can’t normally do with group assignments: get drunk and fight demons.
I get it, you don’t want your friends to think you’re nerdy. There are a lot of misconceptions about D&D.
While this isn’t the 50s and we no longer believe the game is possessed by Satan, many still think it’s nerdier than playing Settlers of Catan… or Candy Crush on an iPhone (and if any game is possessed, it’s definitely Candy Crush).
But trust me, there’s something insanely cool about role-playing.
“Making on the spot decisions – like what to drink at a tavern or choosing to let someone live or die – can be exciting,” Steeves said.
Sure, it might be embarrassing at first, but it doesn’t have to be. As long as you and your friends are willing to try new things, rolling 20 sided dice can be a lot of fun.
