What the Heck is Dungeons & Dragons?

By EM Hardesty

What is Dungeons & Dragons? It looks like a board game, as it uses dice, sheets and rule books,
but the truth is it’s more than that. It’s definitely not like a video game because you can’t play it on your
own and you don’t beat other players to win. The best way to describe Dungeons & Dragons is to call it
an interactive story where each player portrays a character in the narrative and a Dungeon Master who
designs the adventure and serves like a referee of sorts to keep the story moving forward.

Sure, there’s magic and elves and creatures from the fiery dimensions but the game isn’t
Satanic, it doesn’t involve players getting into devil worship or the like. As a matter of fact, the game is
quite the opposite: players are meant to play heroes; fine examples of citizens who stand up to fight evil
and protect the weak when others can’t.

Don’t think that Dungeons & Dragons is “a game just for nerds and geeks” because it’s not. Just
look at the show “Critical Role” where the Dungeon Master and the players are all famous voice actors.
Famous actors like Vin Diesel, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and “Daredevil” star Deborrah Ann Woll are
just some of them. Don’t forget DB Weiss and David Benoiff, the showrunners behind “Game of
Thrones” and Wil Wheaton, who starred in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and later became a part of
the geek-culture and science show “The Big Bang Theory.”

It’s a game that requires creativity and imagination, critical thinking to solve puzzles, and it
improves literacy skills as it requires a lot of reading and writing. The game uses dice and a few modifiers
so expect a little bit of basic math. Dungeons & Dragons helps improve social skills, it promotes team
coordination and it helps alleviate anxiety for really shy people. It’s been an outlet for people suffering
from depression or issues with autism.

It’s also a game that heavily promoeztes diversity. Players and their characters can reflect all
sorts of identities. Just like a band of adventurers can be comprised of a human, elf and dwarf the
players around the table need to practice the same level of cooperation no matter what their religion or
sexual preference is.

The best thing is that you can play with just paper and pencil. There are dice apps if you can’t
find or buy actual dice and while you’ll want to buy the hardcover rulebooks you can start with the free,
downloadable material provided by Wizards of the Coast. The Starter Set, which is about as affordable
as a movie ticket with popcorn and drinks, has everything you need to get a game going with four or five
friends. It’s got dice, a ready-made adventure, character sheets and a basic guidebook.
 Dungeons & Dragons is an adventure, an adventure you and your friends can embark on
together. So what are you waiting for? Get a few friends, sit around a table and slay a dragon or rescue
the princess.