D&D: The Art of Storytelling
By Korbyn Ryan 11/2/2022
Embedded Files
Dungeons and Dragons, a popular tabletop game that was first released in the mid-1970s, has been an outlet for my creativity during my high school years.
Dungeons and Dragons, or D&D for short, is a Tabletop Role-Playing game, where you assume the role of an adventurer in a highly magical world. Think J.R.R. Tolkien's “Lord Of The Rings'' or C.S. Lewis's “The Chronicles of Narnia.”
The thing that drew me into the game in the first place was the sheer amount of options. With countless Races and Classes, the possibilities were seemingly endless.
But while that’s what got me playing originally, the thing that kept me playing was the ability to tell the stories that I wanted to tell, to build a world I wanted to explore. I could make up some fictional continent with imaginary countries and leaders and have my friends explore that world, otherwise known as being the Dungeon Master, or DM.
The only limitation to your game is your imagination, and being someone who often gets lost in my thoughts, this was an amazing outlet for my creativity.
The world-building aspect of the game was a unique outlet for me. It allowed me to further explore my interests in world history and diverse cultures while repackaging them into a medium my friends would be more receptive to.
And it is safe to say I'm not alone in this experience. Wizards of The Coast, the publisher of D&D, estimated there were roughly 14 million active players worldwide in 2019.
Junior Cayden Eckhardt credits me for convincing him to start playing the game, he said he knew very little going in, but it was a good decision overall.
We have both been Dungeon Masters for about the same time, and with relatively similar mindsets when approaching the preparation and world-building as a whole.
Eckhardt has run roughly three campaigns, although two of those ended prematurely due to factors outside his control. But he plans on continuing to run games for the time being.
“I can never really get myself to commit to creative projects very often, but that hasn’t been the case when it comes to D&D,” said Eckhardt. “I don’t know why, but I just get a certain drive to create something and make sure it’s fun for everyone”
Eckhardt has returned to the role of Dungeon Master over the last few weeks to jump back into the part of the game he fell in love with. He aims to start two new games in the coming months.
“Writing is fun and all, don’t get me wrong, but there’s something special about D&D,” said Eckhardt. “It’s much better being able to both write my wacky ideas down AND share them with my friends. It’s just a unique experience.”
"It’s different from playing games with friends since instead of cooperatively working through a premade setting, I get to create something for people to explore and get lost in," said Eckhardt. "In turn my friends get to experience something that goes infinitely deeper than a video game, since I can adapt to the players."
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse