“No, I would not want to live in a world without dragons, as I would not want to live in a world without magic, for that is a world without mystery, and that is a world without faith.” — R. A. Salvatore, Streams of Silver.1
In 1988, R.A. Salvatore penned these lines for his now legendary hero, Drizz’t Do’Urden, a drow or dark elf who chose to reject the evil of his people and battle on the side of good and right. Today, Drizz’t, though much mocked for his anime looks (black skin, silvery white long hair, violet eyes, and even occasionally a single crystalline tear) remains an important part of the Dungeons & Dragons universe, appearing in the MMORPG Neverwinter as well as an entire series of books. Every good drow, no matter their origin, will inevitably be compared at some point, to Drizz’t Do’Urden, the Hero of the North. Any number of reasons might be given for that, but the one I prefer is that Drizz’t’s struggles are relatable. All of us fight to be accepted on our own terms, to be allowed to define our identity, and for our lives to have purpose. Not coincidentally, those are some of the reasons I love Dungeons & Dragons.
What is Dungeons & Dragons?
So what is Dungeons & Dragons anyway? Chances are, you’ve heard of it. You probably know it’s a game, and you probably know someone who plays it. If you’re a fan of speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, often horror), chances are good you have at least a rough idea of what the game entails. If you watch Stranger Things, you may have an even better idea, because the kids on that show solidified their friendship around their love of and play of the game.
So, again. What is it?
Dungeons & Dragons is, first and foremost, a tabletop roleplaying game. Tabletop is where you play it. Roleplaying, or giving voice to someone, in this case a fantasy character, who is not you. In Dungeons & Dragons, a group of people portray characters they’ve created as they undertake heroic adventures to save people, towns, even the world. They are lead through their “adventure campaign” by a DM or dungeon master, whose function is to present the world, play additional characters friend and foe, and to adjudicate rules of combat, exploration, and social interaction. Although some of the gameplay is decided by dice rolls, much of it proceeds by collaborative storytelling.
If I tell you that the game grew out of fantasy war-gaming, that the first drafts of the game were written by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1973, that it has been through multiple editions (including the much reviled fourth) and is now on its 5th edition, you will perhaps have some idea of the game’s enduring power. New books–campaigns, settings, manuals–are published multiple times per year for the core game, and there are novels, figures, computer games, board games, an entire industry around the world(s) of Dungeons & Dragons. And, because of the open gaming license it operates under, there are thousands of related products created by dungeonmasters and players every year.
To my mind, this bare bones technical overview can’t possibly convey what Dungeons & Dragons is, though. Not to the people who play it. For us, it’s two to five hours per week around a real or virtual tabletop with people who become our closest friends in not one world, but two. It’s experiencing life as someone different than ourselves, developing them as people, exposing them to life-threatening danger week in and week out and praying to their gods that they manage to survive. It’s sometimes laughing at ridiculous jokes, crying over unexpected deaths of our characters or friends we’ve made along the way, arguing over how best to emerge alive from the realm of a demon lord who is notorious for interrogation and torture, or maybe arguing over how a particular rule applies… Ultimately, it’s creating a story together that we’ll be talking about for years and years to come.
What’s my DEal?
I’ve already owned up to being one of those glorious nerds who loves this game. Specifically, I play it with two overlapping groups of people around a virtual tabletop called Roll20 two nights per week. One of my games just wrapped up a multi-year run through Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat, official modules produced by Wizards of the Coast. In that game, I played a dragon-mad half-elf divination wizard named Samira Ybarra who looked like Alicia Keys. She grew from a level 1 wizard (a handful of spells and magical effects) to a level 16 wizard who could aid her friends, control the battlefield, even alter reality to help defeat the evil dragon god, Tiamat. Along the way, she also went from being a selfish, arrogant brat to a powerful team-player.
My other game is a home-brewed campaign written by one of my very good friends and writing partner, Alicia M. The story revolves around the city of Mirabar that has recently been destroyed in a power-game between two demon lords. Their conflict has escalated to involve the gods of the realm, their children and champions, and our characters who have been running around madly putting out demonic and now devilish fires. I’ll be talking about this one, which we’re calling A Game of Realms, a lot, because it’s easier to talk about a concrete example. In this game, I play a lion-shifter cleric of the goddess of trade and liberty, whose name is Narisyanta. He’s the dad-friend of the party but he also fell in love with a gorgeous elvish courtesan-cleric who, lucky guy, loves him too. I imagine you’ll hear all about Naris and Amethyst, but until next time…
Is it Saturday yet?2
1. Salvatore, R. A. Streams of Silver. Wizards of the Coast LLC, 2007.
2. At the close of every Critical Role episode, Matt Mercer looks at the camera and says, “Is it Thursday yet?”
1 Comment