Alone on a Wednesday? Make your night magical by playing Dungeons and Dragons

The following article is written by Katrina Kiesow

The sound of laughter and talking, along with the smell of burgers, filled the room. Dice, guide books and sodas sit on each table.

Every Wednesday in room 375 of the Science and Technology Center, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., a group comes to play Dungeons and Dragons — a table-top, role-playing game where players create their own characters, worlds and fantasy.

Magical adventures, elves and storytelling. What exactly is so special about this game?

“This is something where it’s a social event without having to be extremely social,” said Colter Chase, a sophomore studying English. “Even if you’re not interacting with everyone, you’re in this big group for a tiny bit, and then you’re just in smaller groups of people.”

Chase, one of the managers of the groups, suggests coming at 6 p.m. It allows people to mingle with one another and new players. Games officially start at 7 p.m. Then players choose a group or join their regular group before going to separate rooms.

“I love the stories, the friends and the shenanigans,” said Katelyn Barnard, a sophomore studying geology. “I wanted to play D&D for a while, but I didn’t know how to play, or I didn’t have anyone that would teach me. I tried it once here, and I got immediately hooked.”

Chase said everyone is welcome to play. Students from a variety of majors participate. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or advanced — Dungeons & Dragons is an accepting group and they are willing to help.

“I love seeing my characters grow within the story and exploring their backstories, that’s so much fun,” Barnard said. “And then you get friendships out of it. Once you go adventuring with a few people, it’s more than likely that you’ll become friends with them.”

As time went on, smiles swept across the students faces as they played with their groups. A loud, dramatic gasp could be heard from a player whose character had just been killed. He threw up his arms before laying his chest on the table. The people around him laughed.

“Dungeons and Dragons is a big collaborative story,” Barnard said. “The Dungeon Master is the one who creates the world in your group and tells the story and sets the stage. You have a part in it too, and you get to tell that story.”

For Dungeons and Dragons lovers, next Wednesday can’t come soon enough. The passion for this tactical game is real. Tell your story and have some magical fun playing Dungeons and Dragons.