Dungeons & Dragons Club Forges Fantasies

Club members plan their journey as Dungeon Master Ms. Coker explains the situation their characters find themselves in. Photo Credit: Tiffany Ordoñez

By TIFFANY ORDOÑEZ

Maybe if it wasn’t for the thick trees, with their long vines and large leaves, Vex could have noticed the figure perched on the branch above her head with a bow at the ready. 

She hears the whistle of the arrow, feels the air break apart with its speed, and turns around to block, duck — do anything — before she meets a terrible fate. The taste of safety is only a few seconds away, all Vex has to do is roll a —

“One,” said Ms. Kristina Coker. “You rolled a one. The arrow hits you in the forehead, which covers your face with blue paint.”

Pitying glances are sent my way as I stare at my twenty-sided dice in horror. I may not have been killed, but as someone who plays as a rogue, a type of class that excels in agility, it might as well have been a death sentence. 

In Dungeons and Dragons, a fantasy role-playing game played through personas that navigate an imaginary world inspired by medieval myth, the class and race you pick are imperative to the building of your character. Midwood’s D&D Club gives students an opportunity to take on any identity they choose for their adventure, with a variety of capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, and physical traits.

Ms. Santangelo, one of the two teachers who monitors the club, which takes place in room 304, period 11, praised the club for how it helps “inspire students to think creatively” when designing their character. 

Freshman Isiah Scott, who was exposed to the game last year through podcasts and videos on social media, said that the most enjoyable aspect is having the power to choose what he wants for his character. He said it gives him a place to “explore and build [his] own thing” that other games don’t provide.

Although the list of rules is too grand, and often intimidating, for him to fully wrap his head around, Scott continues coming to club meetings because “the people here make Dungeons and Dragons great,” he said. “All the jokes make it a fun place.”

As play continues, the eight club members (half boys, half girls) sitting around the table in the art room continue to update their character sheet, subtracting “hit points” as their adventurer takes damage and adding strength, dexterity, and wisdom points as they win battles and “level up.” The game is entirely hands-on and pen-and-paper.

Savanna Clarke, the leader of the club, loves how D&D is an “escape from technology,” she said. In an age where teens are more likely to capture memories on Snapchat than live in the moment, she’s glad this tabletop game can get people off their screens and connect with the outside world.

When Clarke first began to play, she was overcome with nervousness, but got more comfortable the more she played. She knows how nerve-wracking it can be for students to enter a game as complicated as this, but advises newcomers to “not be afraid” and to “just jump into it.” 

One of the perks of D&D Club is “how no one assumes everyone here knows how to play,” said Jodie Ferreira, a senior. So if you’ve been excusing yourself from joining this club because of lack of experience, never fear. The club has no qualms with beginners. 

Clarke calls the club a “safe space” for people who “want to be crazy in front of each other.” In many sessions, the players mess around and crack jokes, both in- and outside of character. 

If creating a character is not your cup of tea, there are other ways to participate. Ferreira wanted to improve her storytelling ability, which can easily be done if she becomes a Dungeon Master, the person responsible for coming up with the details and challenges the players must go through. 

There is something for everyone here, and members get to express themselves through role play without feeling shame or embarrassment for who they are. D&D may even be a way for you to better understand yourself. What you pick as the class and race of your character may reflect who you are. In this club, participants are expected to be creative, have fun, and work as a team. So why not pick up the dice and roll?