The power of Dungeons & Dragons

By Buu-Tran Duong
Freelance Reporter

Not everyone knows what Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is. D&D involves players forming an adventuring party to explore a fantasy adventure together, guided and refereed by a dungeon master.

I visited the LCC D&D Club, previously named the Hall of Heroes Club, at its weekly time and location: Sunday from 4 to 8 p.m. on the second floor of LCC’s TLC building.

I met Club President RE DeForest, who recalled getting bullied for her interest in D&D or nerd culture in middle school in her rural hometown. Now, she has an active group of club members who play and have fun with her every week in college.

Club members take turns dungeon mastering, so not one person is overwhelmed with campaign preparation. Audio engineering student Kelsey, who is used to dungeon mastering for others, said she is happy she can take a break and enjoy the ride.

“I’m learning how to be a player again,” Kelsey said.

D&D Club Vice President John McCarthy has over three years of experience dungeon mastering. He leads members through a mysterious, creepy manor with untold horrors. Photo by Buu-Tran Duong

As a D&D amateur, I felt cared for when Vice President John McCarthy let me borrow his sparkly blue dice to play.

Other seasoned members, Mitchell and Minerva, helped explain D&D rules to me as our characters progressed through the Death House, a disturbing gothic manor that leads into the popular “Curse of Strahd” D&D campaign.

I found myself spooked by any object in the game, thanks to McCarthy’s immersive dungeon mastering and storytelling. I passionately defended my actions when my headstrong Elven comrade wondered why I was being a coward, while he loudly got his crowbar stuck into floorboards.

I built an attachment to Minerva’s small rogue character, who could nimbly fit into small spaces and had humorous quips in a cool accent. I learned that whatever my character learned, I had to voice it or my fellow characters would not know.

The adventure took about two and a half hours to finish, and we were laughing and more familiar with each other’s personalities by the end of it.

Alix Davis, LCC Library business specialist and one of the D&D Club advisers, said this is the magic of D&D.

“D&D, in general, teaches things like project management and socialization,” Davis said. “You’re learning to get along with people, bring people in, do a presentation, (do) improv (and) manage people, schedules and objects.”

Minerva Bunting, an LCC Library student assistant and a club member, discussed a recent D&D experience she had.

“Last week, I played a mute character,” Bunting said. “We hooked up my computer to these projectors and I just opened a Google Doc to type. The group was really accommodating and worked around my character.”

Transfer studies major and new club member Amani talked about her experience with D&D.

 “It’s really a creative time to express yourself in different ways,” Amani said. “I love sorcerers. Anything magic-based … chaotic neutral. I think it reflects me.”

My experience with the D&D Club was exciting and accommodating. So if you are looking for some fun, fantasy and friends over the weekend, check out the LCC D&D Club.

In the words of the Vice President McCarthy: “Whoever you are, you can come sit down with us and play whatever game we’re running!”