I used to play pretend. Playing pretend was an escape for me. Whether it was with family or friends, pretending to be something else has always been a large part of what made me, me. I would play so much with my action figures and create large and fantastical stories to explain all of them being together at once. My imagination has never stopped running wild. So when I learned about Dungeons and Dragons, my curiosity would spike. I was intrigued for the longest time, I didn’t understand its concept. Was it a board game? Why all the dice? Why were there so many books and modules related to it? What is this game? And why is it associated with nerds so much? I am a nerd so…should I be playing it? And before long, I would, and little did I know that it would become an even larger part of me.
Dungeons and Dragons created by Gary Gigax, is a 50 year old tabletop roleplaying experience that has its roots in the high fantasy adventures inspired by Tolkien stories along with other mythological tales and ideas, mixed with a complex war like game mechanic. And to some worried mothers, its a game about “Satan” (This is a joke it is a not about Satan ). In the SIMPLEST of terms, its a large game of pretend. It is perhaps the greatest game of pretend that has ever existed. And while there other games that have specialized in different parts of D&D in better ways, more roleplaying like Kids on Bikes or Call of Cthulu, or more intricate war and battle mechanics like Warhammer and Pathfinder, D&D still holds a special place in many hearts. It is the game that got me into tabletop gaming, and it is the game that has created some of my lifelong friendships and wonderful memories.
The game wasn’t easy for me to learn though. But that really isn’t the games fault, nor was it the fault of the people who attempted to teach me. No it was all my fault. Due to one simple reason, I forgot to read the Player’s Handbook. Truly the one and most important essential reading for this whole experience, I did not do. Which led to some of the best experiences while learning more and more about the game. In one of my earliest experiences I became the Dungeon Master for the beginners modules. And I wanted it to be more personalized than just me reading every paragraph and playing it exactly as written. So I would expand parts of the story and attempt to make a much larger deal than what it really was. While helping my players try to build their characters, I had them roll for their stats…with a D20. Which resulted in two very unique cases. A player with a decisively low stat and a player with a ridiculously high stat. Those few early sessions were a STRUGGLE. I tried my best to improv situations to be better and sometimes I would allow players to do things so OUTSIDE the rules but at the time I didn’t care. It resulted in such a unique D&D experience and more importantly a learning one.
Dungeon Mastering wasn’t the only thing that came hard for me, even being a simple player was difficult. Not understanding mechanics and distributing my stats wrong ended up with creating two very close characters of mine whom I wish switched attributes with one another. My undead Bard Elf Niro Snow, and my insanely chaotic Sorcerer tiefling, Zevis Raeburn. Two very hilarious and heartfelt characters…who should have switched classes. Bards are more talkative and suave and rely on their wits which is what Zevis should have been, and Niro was a mystery with magical powers that he did not understand , should have been the sorcerer. These two fundamental traits helped me realized that building and understanding the kind of characters that I want to play, is very important. Its purposeful. Especially when you realize how easy it is to mix fun mechanical concepts with your background and stories. That being said, I don’t regret playing Niro as a bard, nor do I regret playing as Zevis. Two characters who embody parts of myself. Zevis being not only chaotic but passionate, impulsive but loyal even though he might question himself, and Niro quiet, shy and wanting to find himself in a world that may not ever truly understand him. Characters like these is what makes the magic of playing D&D so special.
It was never easy learning the rules, and it wasnt easy creating an original setting either for my friends to play with. After an extensive obsession watching the hit Cartoon Network Show Adventure Time, I wanted to create a world similar to Ooo, with the same insane whimsy and subtle dark nature. So I began to write and create Asu, a world that is silly and with a kingdom filled with people made out of butter. But then as I played with some friends on this world, I realized how unserious it was. Don’t get me wrong I love a good unserious campaign and setting, but I realized even I couldn’t keep up with its silliness. I was forcing myself too much. Sometimes creating these worlds and stories can take a toll on the person. And especially someone like me who wants to try too many different ideas all at once. Asu became a small project of mine and it ended up going through so many different rewrites. I am quite proud of what it became now and I have a feeling my friends would enjoy the new setting. Less butter people and a larger focus on elementals and the magical inhabitants that live in my world. And these rewrites taught me the importance of continual practice. The way I would work on this world, and lore and building story and plot points and game mechanics to make everything mesh just right. The best part was this experience made the next world build significantly easier. My Insect/ Game of Thrones inspired campaign feels more natural, more filled out and full of lore and is such a fun unique game setting. My craft is getting better and better.
Dungeons and Dragons can change a person. It’s a game where someone like me will put in hours and hours of work to make it fun and engaging for their fellow players. It is the ultimate team building exercise. And it is the best way to experience wild and magical adventures. To me this game helped me write more, create more and get closer to my friends. Games like these are encouraging to the world and it can bring so many people together. So never be embarrassed if you don’t know all the rules, make sure everyone in the table is loving and respecting of one another and above all else, always be a little bit of a dumbass.
Coqui Coqui.
Leave a Reply