While some find their escape from the overwhelming day-to-day in a book or a show, others turn to tabletop gaming. Perhaps the most mainstream of which is Dungeons and Dragons (D&D).
D&D is a collaborative fantasy role playing game with a growing fan base. It’s also (soon to be) the latest club on campus.
Many of the club’s details are in flux as the official paperwork is underway. Its sole group of players meets every Friday in the Create Space. As of this news cycle, another group is being worked into the rotation to meet for their own game.
The current President of the club and Dungeon Master (DM) of the on-going game is Joseph Burr. In the terms of D&D, this means he’s the main ‘world builder.’ The DM determines the setting of the story as well as the people and obstacles that the players’ characters must face.
Burr has been playing D&D for about eight years and running campaigns as Dungeon Master for just as long.
In short, Burr would describe D&D as “dice, a lot of writing and imagination.”
“If you’re new it helps to have someone who knows how to play the game,” Burr said.
For those struggling to find good groups, Burr said, “be willing to put yourself out there instead of expecting someone to pick you up just ‘cause you look lost – and don’t be rude.”
“If you’re really lost, visit the Create Space on Fridays in the afternoon. You’ll probably find someone,” Burr said, “or talk to Dominic. He works there and has fluffy hair.”
Dominic Hatcher-Thomassen is a student worker in the Create Space. Although he is not officially part of the D&D club, he and the Create Space are directly responsible for its inception. The Create Space hosts a variety of games and activities for students to participate in, including chess, VR and occasional events like the D&D info sessions. A Create Space flier is how Hatcher-Thomassen first gathered the would-be D&D club members.
Staff member and club advisor Kyle Schmaing said he has been passionate about fantasy and sci-fi all his life. When he’s not busy he likes to play Starfinder, a science-fantasy roleplaying system similar to D&D.
Schmaing advertised the club as a judgment-free group for new and old players alike, and not just for those interested in D&D. The club, in partnership with the library, has resources for several tabletop games. Books, dice, maps and miniature figures are all available to students.
“It’s great if you have some materials of your own, but that’s where we come in,” Schmaing said. “The library has a new tabletop roleplaying game collection that we’ve started with a grant from the Washington State Library system and it’s expanded with donations from local librarians and other members… so you don’t need anything to start except for a desire.”
Schmaing and others in the club can also address questions about the different game systems or about joining their groups separate from the school. Most importantly, the club is meant to act as a hub that connects students to play together.
“It’s just a more codified or organized way of getting people together. The running joke for any roleplaying group is that the hardest part is getting people to show up on time and be there,” Schmaing said.
“The only thing you need to get started is a love of wanting to play… of wanting to tell a story with friends,” Schmaing said. “If you like playing video games but you’ve always wondered, ‘well, what would happen if I could go through that window?,’ that doesn’t happen because the game says no. In D&D, you can.”
For Schmaing and many others, D&D is not just about playing a game. It’s about friendship and storytelling. D&D is a reprieve where friends come together to stop worrying about their own real life problems and instead start worrying about world-ending fake problems. Prospective students can sign up and begin their own story by emailing Schmaing at [email protected].
“It’s just a bunch of people sitting around a table. Talking, playing… all those things that happen,” Schmaing said. ”And it’s just talking to each other about what you want to do. Make a silly voice, or don’t, some people are great at it, some aren’t… if you see that and go ‘I wish I could do it,’ you can. Just join up.”
