With the rising popularity of tabletop games, you may have heard of a game called Dungeons & Dragons. With massive media outlets promoting D&D, like the movie in 2023 or the massively successful D&D channel known as Critical Roll, D&D has never been more popular.

Now you may be asking yourself, How can I play? Well lucky for you, D&D accessibility has never been so easy.

With many clubs and organizations being created just to play D&D, all you have to do is find a group. Many towns and cities have local game shops where people can come in and play games with friends or meet new people. Along with this, many schools have implemented a D&D club.

If you weren’t already aware, at JCCC, we have our very own D&D Club. Every Monday from 5:15 p.m. – 7 p.m. in the CoLab (OCB100), you can join others in the thrill of D&D.

Don’t know how to play? No worries! The club here at JCCC is very welcoming to new or inexperienced players. And while a majority of people who play D&D are in it for the long haul, if you just want to experience a short story and get to know more about D&D, you are just as welcomed.

To learn more about the D&D Club here on campus, please visit their Discord Server where you can find all the information you need.

Like mentioned previously, many people frequently visit local game shops in order to play, or even to meet new people. At a local game store, TableTop Game & Hobby, we met with a long-time Game Master, Matt.

Matt Runnells-Rebol has been engaging in the world of tabletop gaming since 2011 when he was in college. While he did start in 2011, he wasn’t an avid player until 2020. In present time, it’s more common to find people who want to play the game rather than run it, that’s where Matt stepped up and he’s been doing it since.

As a DM (Dungeon Master/Game Master), Matt finds himself in a unique position, he creates the narrative for his players. A DM’s job is to guide the players along this constructed story, while also giving them the freedom to explore their surroundings, solve difficult puzzles, and roleplay with NPC’s (non-player characters).

“As a GM, I’m always trying to gauge what people are enjoying and making sure that I incorporate a little bit of that into the setting,” Runnells-Rebol said.

Many people may wonder what the goal of D&D is. Is it to defeat the big monster? Is it to save the princess? While these things may happen in the story, there seems to be an overarching goal.

“Worrying whether or not we succeed or whether or not we win, I want the story to be compelling,” Runnells-Rebol said.

Similar to many video games or books, the true goal of D&D is to just have fun and tell a great story, which brings us to the point of D&D is for everyone. Anyone can find a campaign out there based on something they are interested in, it doesn’t need to follow the basic fantasy elements. DMs can create a world based on popular movies or shows such as Harry Potter or Star Wars, which allows their players to engage in a world of something that they already love.

With seemingly endless technology coming out so often, accessing information for D&D has never been easier. People from all over can access anything they need to know about D&D, and even play it online. With notable websites such as Roll20 or D&D Beyond standing out for players wanting to find information on the game.

While D&D is a game typically held in person, many people may find that is not an option for themselves. This is where these websites become a major player. Runnells-Rebol, like many people in 2020, couldn’t leave his house, because of this, he started an online group during lockdown with some of his friends.

“The reason I currently play Dungeons and Dragons is because I got so into doing it during the pandemic,” Runnells-Rebol said.

When asked about his preference of online vs. in person sessions, Runnells-Rebol says this, “It’s really dependent on yourself and if it’s easier for you to play by finding a group online… try it.”

While Runnells-Rebol does enjoy playing with his friends, he also engages in playing with his fiance Megan, who has been playing D&D since 2019 after she got into some D&D podcasts. Over the course of them dating, they both bonded over D&D and have been playing it together ever since.

“Matt and I are a solid creative team. We love bouncing ideas off of each other and telling stories… I also love that we are independent people and can surprise each other with character choices or moments at the table,” Runnells-Rebol said.

Both Matt and Megan have backgrounds in theater, which has only boosted their love for roleplaying/D&D.

A huge aspect of D&D is roleplaying. Players get to essentially become a new person, while the DM becomes several. This allows players to create unique situations that they wouldn’t normally encounter day-to-day, which only makes it more fun.

When asked about his favorite part of playing D&D, Matt says, “Roleplaying and storytelling is my favorite part of both DMing and playing.”

When asked the same question, Megan says, “My favorite part of playing is probably the character work I get to do on a regular basis. I use my acting and character study training for everything when I’m building and playing a character.”

Megan has also experienced being a DM, where she says, “As a first stab at it, I was anxious and in my head about missing important info from the campaign book. However, I really had a lot of fun once I let that go and got into the flow of the story.”

When asked whether she liked being a DM or player more she responded, “Definitely player.”

There are truly endless different ways anybody could play D&D. As a player or as a DM, there is no harm in trying it all and figuring out what you had the most fun at.

If you are feeling anxious about starting a D&D campaign, there are typically a few things a group will talk about first before starting the story.

Session 0, a very common practice among players, is where all of the players and DM meet up before they officially start playing and go over what will happen during the campaign.

When asked about Session 0, Matt says, “If you’re looking for a long term campaign, yes Session 0 is absolutely paramount… Especially if you are playing with players you haven’t played with before, you are about to commit to a long term campaign where you are going to explore a lot of different themes.. One of the best ways to ensure the success of your gaming table, is to make sure that everyone knows what to expect going into it.”

It doesn’t hurt to ask. If at any point you don’t know what is going on, you are free to ask your DM or look it up. D&D is truly a game made for the players’ best experience in mind.

In the tabletop hobby, it is a common side hobby for people to collect dice. You will find that many players have multiple sets of dice, more than the usual person. Many people like to get dice specifically for one character they are playing as, meaning when a new character comes around, a new set of dice is right behind it. Matt and Megan follow this trend as well.

When asked how many dice Matt has, he says,  “I have probably in the neighborhood of twenty.”

Asking the same question to Megan, she says, “…I probably own five or six of them total. I love pretty math rocks, and I love matching them to my characters.”

The world of D&D and tabletop gaming is only growing. With many local stores, clubs, or organizations, anyone can find a group willing to play. There is truly no better time to start than now.