Why You Should Play Dungeons & Dragons

Adventure awaits…

There’s the hook, the line, and the sinker.

Want to escape?

Of course, you do.

This is where the magic happens. At least the most magic we can muster in these muggle lives we live — all in a game of Dungeons & Dragons.

Whether you’re 9, 13, 24, 39, 56, or 72, this game transcends what we consider “age-appropriate.”

With some dice, a few sheets of paper, good friends, some beers (if you’re of age, of course), and a human willing to devote their time to engage you in a rollercoaster for your imagination — you too can be an adventurer in a strange, dangerous and exciting world.

There’s a part of us — of every one of us — that yearns for adventure.

Some satisfy that calling by joining the military, teaching abroad, traveling to exotic locals, playing video games, or submersing themselves in literature.

Others of us like to play make-believe.

Call us nerds, geeks, freaks, what have you.

Some of these aforementioned titles turn out to be soldiers, nurses, writers, DJs, graphic designers, and all-around lovely and important people.

Adventure is in all of us — we just roll the dice to embark on ours.

We all have the need to escape

You do, I do, they do, that baby does once he becomes cognizant of the real world, your grandfather did, the nosey lady next door does…

You get it.

This is why we play: to escape to a world with our friends where we can live the ideals which we have always believed ourselves to hold dear.

Righteousness, goodness, valor, glory, magnanimity, zeal, conviction…

These values — our indicators of self-worth and identity — become fully realized in a fictitious game where anything is possible. A game where malevolent warlocks unleash hellish armies; vicious orc warlords threaten the safety of the realm and its goodly inhabitants; and Kraken-guarded treasures rest, waiting for you, beneath the most treacherous of seas.

We all want to do the right thing — and this game enforces that part of us.

But sometimes, it’s the flipside...

You fight for things that don’t make you, YOU. At least, I hope they don’t.

Sometimes you’re an evil brigand pickpocketing old women on a busy street, a fallen-from-grace holy warrior fighting against the tenants of your former God, or a maniacal wizard so staunched in their lust for knowledge that there are no lengths to which you might go.

And that’s just it. That’s the make-believe. We explore what might be. We explore those parts of ourselves and discover:

I can’t be evil; I just can’t be. I am a good person.

Stealing is wrong. It might be fun in-game, virtual, or tabletop — but it is wrong.

It’s much better to protect and save the damsel than leave her to be eaten by the pernicious green dragon holding her captive.

This game is a window to our souls and how we live our lives.

And that’s what makes it unequivocally beautiful.

Can You Play?

You bet your dwarven-bearded, dragon-scaled, greatsword-wielding, magic missile-casting ARSE you can!

Life is too short to wonder “what if?” So don’t wonder — give roleplaying a shot.

I understand. WE understand. It can be daunting.

But that’s the beauty of the internet.

With online virtual tabletops, you can join a game from the comfort of your room or home office with strangers equally as apprehensive as you are.

Just check out Roll20.net sometime.

And I’ve never met more people to be curious about this game more so than the people I’ve met in my 30s.

Entrepreneurs, photographers, DJs, policemen, soldiers, and even the mysterious woman or two.

WOMEN…who’d of thunk it, right?

But yes, as I mentioned several times, everyone — no matter what — has the need for adventure boiling inside of them.

Take yours:

Take the leap from that crashing airship, delve into that Lich’s dungeon, fight that ancient white dragon, gamble against the dark-and-mysterious traveler, dive for sunken treasure in shark-infested waters, and climb that mountain towards the ancient, mist-shrouded monastery.

Who knows. You might love it as much as we do.

And we hope that you do.

So why don’t you join us?

This isn’t some secret society.

This isn’t a boys’ club.

And this certainly isn’t a devil-worshipping cult like they believed it to be in the 80s.

We are just a community of nerds, freaks, and geeks who love to roll the dice.

And we’re some of the most accepting bunch that you’ll ever meet.

We’ll help you make your first character; we’ll help you pick out your first set of dice; we’ll give you tips on how to paint your first miniature; we’ll explain what a proficiency bonus is; and we’ll certainly ask you to come back next week.

Why? Because everyone deserves adventure.

You never know what you’ll discover about yourself.

So…what say you, adventurer?

Shall we roll some dice?