Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game revolves around a group of players embarking on a story told by a Dungeon Master, commonly called a DM, all in the comfort of wherever the group wants to play. And it makes a good and affordable holiday present.
The main piece of “equipment” players need is a set of D&D dice. The set includes a d4, a d6, a d8, a d10, a d12, and a d20. The numbers all represent how many “sides” the dice have, and each have a certain role to play during the game.
For example, a d20 is used primarily for non-combat scenarios and “skill checks,” which are moments when a character’s charisma or deception need to be high to succeed in a specific action they want to take. Other dice such as the d8 or d12 are primarily used for combat scenarios. Other than that, all the players need is a character sheet, which explains the character’s abilities, statistics and backstory, and that’s all.
The popular game has gained millions of fans worldwide since its inception in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, and its legacy has been continued by Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro since 1997. Among its large player base are the participants at WCU.
To find them, Discord is the easiest way to start. Under Western Carolina’s Discord hub, there are two main groups to look for: Whee Game, which encompasses a lot of different types of games, whether it be tabletop or video games, has a specific channel for D&D inquiries and meetings. The other group is called WCU Dice Rollers, which is where I found a group led by Riven Craig.
Craig, a psychology major, has been building the lore behind their campaign for many years now, but one of the aspects they love about D&D as a player is character creation. They have actually been able to connect their creations to their major.
“I will take a psychological concept or a mental illness, and I’ll build a character off of that,” Craig said. They talked about how, in a different campaign, they have a character that has dissociative identity disorder and how interesting it is to role-play with different identities. Creating characters like this can help the player explore that mental disability and learn about it, if willing to put in research, which adds to the beauty of this game.
Alongside navigating different psychological disorders with character creation, D&D can also act as an escape from the sometimes monotonous student lifestyle, according to Whee Game Public Relations Officer, Bryson Lewis.
“I came in 2020 to Western as a freshman with COVID being really big. To be able to escape, and go into a fantasy land with friends that I started making my freshman year really helped my mental health,” Lewis explained. “It’s all about escapism.”
D&D boosting mental health actually has some research behind it. A study from University College Cork, and was featured in the 15th issue of the International Journal of Role-Playing, identified several critical benefits for mental health from D&D, which included escapism, self-exploration, and creative expression. Players feel a strong sense of control in-game, which is the opposite of real life, and that’s what continues to draw millions of players every year.
A member of Whee Game, Dylan Minor also discussed the benefit of playing with others and exploring yourself through the game.
“It brings students together, it gives them a chance to self-express. That’s why I was drawn to the game, there’s a lot of creative options, and it’s just fun,” Minor said.
One of the main reasons as to why D&D is so accessible is cost. Sure, an avid player can buy dice worth hundreds of dollars and rule-books worth even more, but the equipment can be much simpler than that. Whee Game member Konrad Feher touched on this, saying it isn’t “necessary to buy the big stuff to tell a good story.” A dice set for D&D can be as cheap as $20, and you can find templates of character sheets online for free.
When asked what he would tell a student who was on the fence about trying Dungeons and Dragons, Whee Game president Devin Sullivan said that they can “bring their greatest dreams to life.”
“They can go on any adventure they want to and have these epic battles and even silly events. A lot of stupid stuff happens, and that’s part of the fun of it,” Sullivan said.
According to Dungeon Vault, there are 13.7 million active tabletop D&D players worldwide, and a small, but passionate, percentage of them reside here at Western Carolina University, hoping to inspire more and more people to join them on their next adventure.
If you have an interest in D&D, or any other game, Whee Game meets on Fridays from 6 to 10 p.m. in Apodaca 322 and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. in Hunter Library 186.
