Do You Want to Play D&D With Me?

  So at this point, you might be asking what D&D is. I mean, I kind of hope not, because I've been writing about it for what feels like a full semester but in actuality was only like 3 or 4 weeks and only sporadically, but if you're still asking, that's fine.
  Dungeons and Dragons is a table-top role playing game (RPG) set in an imaginary world based loosely on medieval myths and legends.  The game is run by a Dungeon Master (DM) who lays out a story before their players using words, pen, and paper. The players use their imagination to see what the DM is telling them and use their own characters, written on a character sheet, to interact with the world. As players perform actions, they use polyhedral dice (read: weird shaped, see right) to act. If you want to attack, run up a wall, play a lute, seduce the guard, or any other action you can think of, these dice are how you do it.
  The DM can run a story either from pre-made modules (such as the 5th edition starter set, The Lost Mine of Phandelver, or the popular and dangerous Tomb of Horrors) or they can come up with their own stories (known as homebrews). Game sessions will often last hours (depending on the Dm and player's preferences) and adventures can be as short as one session (called a one-shot) or goon for a very, very long time (my personal longest campaign is still running, for over a year now, though we meet once a week for about 4 hours).
  At the beginning of the game, characters will choose their race (you see where this whole idea came from now?), class, and background. Standard races are gnome, halfling (think Hobbit, but without the copyright infringement), human, elf, dragonborn, tiefling (think of the standard look of demons in pop culture), half-elf, and half-orc, though expansion books have added other races such as tortles, goblins, kobolds, and orcs. Common classes (each with their own subclasses) are Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorceror, Warlock, and Wizard, but other, uncommon classes, like the Gunslinger and the Bloodhunter, exist thanks to homebrew creators. Backgrounds such as Sage, Entertainer, and Sailor are how your character shaped their life before they became an adventurer, and affects their characteristics and starting gold.
  From all that, its up to the DM where this goes. It's an easy game to learn if you have a good GM and can be an absolutely memorable experience no matter what happens.

  I love this game. In fact, when I started playing it, it was one of the only things I want(ed) to do. I stopped playing video games as much, and I created characters and worlds and just went a little nuts. I hope this game can be as great of an experience for you as it is for me.

  And if you like listening to and/or watching stuff and don't feel like playing D&D but like the sound of it, I highly recommend Critical Role. Matt Mercer (Overwatch, Destiny 2, Fallout 4) and other voice actors go an epic campaign and it is phenomenal.





  I'm almost done with this research blog, but I've had a few ideas pop up in the back of my head on how to continue it after this project. I'll keep you (all) posted on what those plans might be in a few days.