DND for the win!
Ah, the pinnacle of the tabletop RPG, the original that kickstarted the whole genre, Dungeons and Dragons. Now, since someone else on this publication is going over the online version of an RPG, I won’t go too deep into the RPG portion, but I will go over the pros and cons of the DND game itself. Yes, we are focused on just one game, not the genre, not the type, just this one game. So basically a review article.
Honestly, if you’re into RPG style games, and can sustain a fantasy land inside your own head without digital aid, I think you’d get a kick out of this. Now, since there are other stories already up on this publication about what an RPG is, I’ll assume you already know. Now, getting started in this land of wonder and mystique, you’ll need to acquire a few things. The first and foremost would be a set of very specific books, namely the Dungeon Master’s Guide, Player’s Handbook, and Monster Manual. These books are the cornerstone around which the whole of the game will be played, but I’ll get to that in a minute. Also necessary is a set of dice as shown above. Now when I say that you’d probably think a bunch of six-sided dice right? Not in the slightest. To play DND, you need multiple types of dice, namely a 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 20 sided. Also essential are special papers for the character and a book detailing your adventure. Actually, if you are okay with making one up yourself, it’s not actually required. But the character sheet is. It looks like this…
Complicated, right? Well, don’t worry. If it’s your first time playing, then my advice would be to go out to your local board game shop and purchase a starter pack, which usually contains premade characters, a starting adventure book, rulebook, and the dice as stated above. I’ll give a brief rundown on how to create a character just in case anyone reading this wants to give it a whirl. So to start, you must choose a race, class, sex, alignment, (chaotic good, lawful good, etc.) and name. Then, roll a 20 sided die 6 times and record the numbers. Assign those numbers to either constitution, (health) strength, dexterity, (agility) intelligence, (knowledge) wisdom, (common sense) and charisma (charming abilities). The amount of maximum health available to you will be made clear by the constitution, race, and class. The classes, races, and background you choose determines your starting gear, traits, skills, proficiencies, languages you speak, and armor class (basically what number the opponent must beat to damage you). If all that seems complicated, that’s because it is. For a handy website that makes this a little easier, I recommend D&D Beyond. Here’s a link.
After having acquired all the tools necessary, you are ready to begin your quest! Except…going alone is a bit scary, dangerous, and stupid. So, of course, you must find friends that are also interested or a club based around playing this. Make sure you all have a lot of free time and plan far ahead, because these games take hours, and even then you are not done. A campaign is made up of multiple sessions, and each session could go on for at least 3 hours. So be absolutely certain that you have the time and ability to complete your quest, or even begin.
There are those who would mock the players of Dungeons and Dragons. And sometimes, we have done things that encourage the mockery that has befallen us. No judgment intended, but for those who practice LARPing (Live Action Role Playing), you were kind of setting yourselves up for that one. LARPing, for the uninitiated, is gathering all your friends, making costumes, and acting out the adventure that you are playing. It’s like a reenactment, but with dice, fake ears, and magic. Again, no judgment. I fully respect your right to dress up like Gimli from Lord of the Rings and go out to trounce a Beholder.
But honestly, you cannot tell me that you expected to walk around dressed like a dwarven barbarian and nobody would offer a scathing remark or a rude word? That’s just not realistic. Alright, now that all the content has been very heavily paraphrased for this blog post, let’s talk about some of the obvious downsides. Much of it is similar to comic books in a way. I for one love comic books. I’d love to delve deep into the lore, but just like DND and switching from 2 to 3D games, it has a very steep learning curve. There is so much complexity that a new player, without someone or something to guide them through the dark times ahead, will just give up and never return to the game, even if it would have been something where they could go, “That has been the most amazing game I have ever played! I will definitely do this again.” Also, it’s not a single player type of game. One decently sized party consists of at least 4 members, and the dungeon master makes for 5 people’s schedules to mess with. Not to mention if you’re playing over a voice chat service internationally, like my dad once did, meaning you have to deal with other time zones. Basically, that means you might be playing at 3:00 pm in Kansas, but the other guy is playing at 3:00 am in China. It makes for a very difficult game to set up.
Finally, the game is a little expensive to get. Just in the books alone takes a huge chunk of your money, at least $50 for the base items as a conservative estimate. But then there are all the other books that you have to get now that you’re hooked and want more, the new adventure guides since you finished the last one, the many blank character sheets for making new characters or backups in case your main one dies, so on and so forth. Now, I’m not trying to put you off playing Dungeons and Dragons. Quite the contrary, I am a rabid player and do so whenever I have the chance. However, the expense might be one that isn’t easily accessible, or your busy schedule just doesn’t have the room for that. My best advice? Try to make a school club devoted to that so that the purchase is a one time deal and maybe not on your dime. And have a teacher who also enjoys this game oversee the whole thing with regular afterschool sessions every other week or so, making the timing a little easier on everyone. It’s a great game, and there is nothing better than playing this with some friends and the relief that comes with just hanging out, the excitement from defeating that incredibly difficult enemy, and the laughter from the absurdity that occurs sometimes. I remember this one session where the group was trying to collect money for a portal, and we’d just lost most of it. Then, the dungeon master had an on the spot idea and came up with what was essentially a mistaken identity that spiraled out of control and had everyone in fits of laughter from the craziness of one of us being mistaken for a viral celebrity. There truly is no better substitute for unbridled joy than this.
