Picture if you will a world of fantasy full of all manner of magic and adventure, a heroic warrior, a crass dwarf, a cunning thief and a wise wizard. A world only limited by your imagination. A place where you can create and destroy, fight for right and for plunder, a place made possible in the realm of Dungeons and Dragons. Now in reality picture a group of friends huddled around a table with a hand drawn map over a grid. In front of each person is a set of dice and a sheet of paper with their character’s information, its name, its stats, and what it’s able to do. This piece of paper coupled with a pencil is all that stands in the way of the utter destruction of the player’s imagined world… or it could be the very implement of inhalation. It is run by a person called the Dungeon Master, who is in control of the rest of the game outside of the actual player’s characters. They are the one who tells you what is around that corner or in that chest, the one who determines what you will face next. It sounds like a glorious roll but really it’s like herding cats.What I enjoy most about D&D is getting out with friends and just goofing around. Now there are those who are in the closet about their involvement with D&D, and to that I say, D&D SAVES LIVES!!! I rotate from chemo on one Friday to D&D on the other and I enjoy it… the D&D part. It is almost a therapy for me, a distraction for the horrible experience that is Chemo. It’s not just the game night but the whole lead up and character creation. Periodically throughout the week I will go over what my character is able to do and what really motivates him, and that is to just jack crap up... My wife wanted me to say something about how awesome she is (which I agree with) for letting me go out Friday nights and play D&D with friends and have a normal life… then she said “Wait, normal? HA HA HA!!!” All my blogs are about how awesome Renee is and she thinks I should follow the trend.
If you are a big dork like those guys I play D&D with and don’t know where you can find a D&D group to try out. Check out D&D Encounters wich are put on by Wizards of the Coast at a local gaming store. Just type in your zip code and they will show you where you can join a group and play. It usually is on Wednesday nights. There is a lot of work that is put into the campaign’s story and dynamics. I’m just glad I get to show and have a distraction from cancer.
Please enjoy this accurate portrayal of a night of D&D.
I'm glad I'm married...
Hi Clayton. My Name's Kelly. I just read your account, and I wanted to say congratulations on both finding a D&D group that's supportive and fun to play with in addition to taking on the most challenging encounter of your life by way of your battle with your illness.
ReplyDeleteI wish you all the luck in the world, both in your next game and your next checkup. Never forget that people like me, who don't know anything about you other than what you said in this post, are totally pulling for you.
D&D does save lives. You're not the only one (though my story is completely different). I'd love to see people stop stigmatizing our game simply because they don't understand that we're weaving together a story with our friends, not worshiping something dark. Hopefully more people like you, who've found a reason to keep fighting forward in a few dice rolls, will come forward and tell their stories. Will help the rest of the world understand that D&D is a power for good.