Dust.
You don’t find yourself in your attic too often, so every corner is covered with a blanket of dust. There are boxes and chests and bags that you don’t even remember packing away. But that’s why you’re here, isn’t it? The attic is for memories after all.
The floor creeaaakks with every step you take, it’s as if you can feel the bend of the boards on the tips of your toes. You walk carefully, s l o w l y, because even though you know that monsters aren’t real, the feeling that they might be still stays in your consciousness.
You came here looking for something. Something you know you had but forgot where you put it.
Then it catches your eye. A box with a Sharpie-written label you now remember scrawling on there. The dust flies through the air as you kneel to open it, and what you find inside is exactly what you’re looking for.
What do you do?
The author’s Player’s Handbook, DM Screen, and dice sets. (Image Source: Nadine Gonzales)
Dungeons and Dragons, more widely known as D&D, is a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) where you play as characters going on adventures in a story told by a Game Master (or a Dungeon Master) and by a roll of the dice. It was created by Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson in 1974, and was acquired by Wizards of the Coast in 1997.
“1974? That was ages ago!” you cry out. Yes, and the game has changed and developed so much since then. You may have heard of D&D in media as “the game that the nerds play,” and that is absolutely correct. It was very much a nerdy niche for teenagers in the ’80s and did its part in fueling the “Satanic Panic,” which many fantasy creations were part of. However, the game has grown far beyond its origins and has exploded over the past decade. Wizards of the Coast reports an estimated 85 million players in 2024. It is seen being played in Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and has become especially mainstream with the success of the video game “Baldur’s Gate 3” and the Paramount Pictures production of the film “Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves,” both released in 2023.
Image Source: Chloe Hand
This surge of popularity is mainly due to forces outside of the company’s control. “Actual-Play” (or “Live-Play”) is a term for a genre of podcasts or web shows where people play TTRPGs for an audience. Shows like “Critical Role” and “Dimension 20” have garnered quite a following from the popularization of TTRPG games. “Critical Role” started out as a home game with friends that eventually grew into an independent media company, making comic books, board games, and an animated series on Amazon Prime. “The Legend of Vox Machina,” is based on the cast’s Live-Play games and was funded by fans, raising over 11 million dollars on Kickstarter, surpassing their initial goal of 750,000. “Dimension 20,” a featured show on streaming service Dropout, has over 20 seasons of friends playing TTRPGs. Through the cast’s addicting friendships and storytelling skills, they amassed enough traction to sell out Madison Square Garden, at an event dubbed “Gauntlet at the Garden.” Thanks to Actual-Play, players sharing their D&D experiences with the world, and new resources forming online, the game has never felt more accessible.
“But what’s so great about it? Why are so many people invested in a game about rolling dice?” you ask yourself. And that’s exactly it. The story is not solely told by the Game Master; it is also told through the actions of the players and what they roll on their dice. It is using chance to tell a story as the game goes on; a story where no knows what is going to happen. It’s in that uncharted map, that unwritten narrative, that fosters such a unique connection between everyone at the table. Everyone tells the story together. It’s how community forms. It is where creativity flourishes.
The real chaos and love of the article writer’s character creation session with their party. (Image Source: Nadine Gonzales)
Despite how rule-heavy the game may seem, there has never been a more freeing space to let your imagination run wild. Amid the pandemic, when my passion for art and writing was at its lowest, it was Dungeons & Dragons that helped rekindle my love of storytelling. For so long, my imagination had been restricted to formats, word limits and writer’s block, but this introduction to, what is essentially, playing pretend with a handbook is what sparked that longing desire to simply create. To build a world for my friends and with my friends. A world only comes to life when the game is played.
Reflect on the scene at the start of this article.
Certain details are purposefully blurred. How did you fill in the blanks? What does the attic look like to you? Is it daytime? Nighttime? Do you have a flashlight? What was in that box? What do you plan to do with it? Only you know.
It is incredibly inspiring to see how much art, writing, and creativity have come from people who play this now 51-year-old game. I have friends who play D&D with their parents in their adventuring party (a group of adventurers). This is a game that connects generations and shows that you truly are never too old to play pretend. There will always be new characters to meet, new worlds to explore, and new stories to tell.
It is in these stories that something magical starts.
To rekindle the wonder you have in your heart.
Feed into the chaos that lies in the unwritten,
And find what is found in what once was hidden.
There’s no right or wrong way to play the game,
No two players are ever the same.
However you find yourself, where you’ve gone and where you’ve been,
Just roll with the dice,
And let the adventure begin…
Introduction chapter of the Player’s Handbook. (Image Source: Nadine Gonzales)
D&D Creators Mentioned (plus a few more to check out!):
- Featured Image Source: Nadine Gonzales
