Welcome to DC's Dnd World(s)

What is Dungeons and Dragons (Dnd)?

There are like a zillion valid answers to that, all depending on the person. I've been playing since I was 11 and I liken it to being the hero in a story THAT YOU GET a hand in writing. Ever wanted to be a spoiled princess, nerdy wizard, or daring rascal, but didn't want the jail time and social problems that go with? Ok, the game has you covered. It's one part improv–theatre and one part live action "video" game (and this "controller" is getting old, so no cheesing, please!), but the role you play is one that you very much help shape.

My Dnd game is set in my 44 year old fantasy universe. For this particular game, I won't be requiring you to even decide which of the five main worlds you're from - I'll let the characters you come up with speak to where you should come from. To that, yeah, Dnd is basically Lord of the Rings meets Game of Thrones with some a shades of Star Trek (no tech) and Narnia (at least my world). You'll be playing "people" from a world that has magic (which largely takes the place of tech) but otherwise a medieval understanding of the universe, politics, morality, "science", gods, etc. I'd recommend playing what you know - human - but if you'd like to try an elf, dwarf, hobbit, centaur, lizard folk, or even something more exotic, let's chat. I'm a nerdy anthropologist, so give me a real–world culture and I'll give you what I've placed in my world as a stand in - I have a love of Asian culture and a minor in Middle Eastern studies, so try me! ;-)

Dnd is about conflict resolution, usually violent resolution, but NOT always. There are four basic roles to play (think about which is for you and, yes, there are many shades and blends):

Warrior - fighter, ranger, paladin, barbarian, archer, werelord, samurai, kensai, mariner, hunter - you fight things and use your muscles and brawn in a very real world sense

Wizard - mage, illusionist, sorcerer, necromancer, summoner, elementalist, alchemist, houri, mystic of Nog - you are kind of a wimp, but you have access to magic spells and arcane forces

Priest - cleric, druid, shaman, kahin, sohei, shukenja, mystic, animist, bard (old), ascetic, witch, runecaster (technically) - you are devoted to the god(s) and act as their agents of the plane, often healing folks. I'm a nut about mythology and have the Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Sumerian, Babylonian, Aztec, Voodoo/West African, and Finnish gods all detailed plus the Enlightened (pre–Islamic fantasy "echos") and some Dnd specific ones, like the Suel, Oerdians (blended with the Finnish), and Cthulhu (uber–spooky–creeky!)

Rogue - thief, assassin, acrobat, bard (new), scout, psionist (mind powers), yakuza (crime lord), rawn, beggar, hishna or pluma worker (make Meztican magic) - you live by your wits and skills, trying to be more clever than your foes.

For this adventure, your character is here because, specifically, they're "a blank slate" with no "bundle of karma" to pull on. They're newbies, just like you. They're being asked to go on a rescue mission by a powerful group of influential heroes in return for a reward. The heroes have offered to even help equip you, so your mission can be more successful.

So, with all due respect to Danny Elfman, "Who do you want to be today...? "

A chubby hobbit archer out to have an adventure or find true love?

A erudite, bookish wizard with a pet toad and a crooked staff?

A serene druidess attuned to her wolf companion but ill at ease among humans... ?

Give it some thought. Who do you wanna be...?









p.s. - yes, there is a whole body of literature discussing the therapeutic uses of Dnd in psychotherapy. Anyone who has played any serious length of time with a stable group can validate that it is a glimpse into each others' inner workings, cuz, well, if you get into your character, you're gonna get to experience near death (hopefully only NEAR) with them a lot more than you would in your real (safer?!?) life. Also, you get to try stuff that maybe your real life wouldn't go in for; I don't find close minded players last long. But either way, we're NOT doing multi–year epic quests here. It's all good. These will just be fun little games. You'll get out of them what you bring in. And, I'd like to point out, most CISVers I know played Dnd at some point. ;-)