People who don't play D&D just don't get D&D. There was a lot of sound and fury back in the 80s about how playing D&D would make you worship Satan or go kill people, and I say mentally unbalanced people don't need an excuse to do those things. I've been playing D&D for 20 years now (off and on), but I've been playing steadily for the past 8 years, mostly as the DM (Dungeon Master, who runs the game), but occasionally and most recently as a player. It gives me the opportunity to create a character and then use his personality quirks to really annoy all my friends.But the game is more than just the game. It is an opportunity to still get together with my friends (all married now, and almost everyone with children). It forces us to keep a block of time open every week or two (or sometimes three) where we all get together. We usually chat for the first hour, try to figure out what we had been doing and get set up for about 15 minutes, eat for 15-30 minutes, and then do our serious playing for about 2.5 hours.
But the game is about friends and spending time together. As you can tell from this picture (taken with my new phone), food and drink are occupying as much of the table as the figures and the cave we are exploring.
The game is more than just the game. Some people play Monopoly, some people play bridge, and some people have Sex and the City viewings. I play D&D. What is really happening is that people are coming together to enjoy each others company, tell some jokes, hang out, and generally have a good time (except when the damn undead wolves are killing our cleric, but that is another story for another blog).
People just don't understand. They get hung up on the concept of D&D and never think that it really isn't all that different than a weekly poker game. People get together, they do something fun, and hang out.
Except that the stakes are a little higher for your character in D&D. ;-)
McLean, VA
8 comments:
Well it's sort of like dorky poker :)
"It gives me the opportunity to create a character and then use his personality quirks to really annoy all my friends."
And this is different from real life how exactly? ;-)
Steve - You just proved my point.
James - I know it has been a long time since we've played D&D together, but I'm much worse in character now than I could ever be in person.
I don't know. Only a satanist would offer both cheeze-doodles and chocolate covered pretzels at the same event. And only satanists would eat more cheeze-doodles and leave lots of chocolate covered pretzels. Pat Robertson is headed your way to smote you and then publicly apologize.
S - Not that you would recognize them, but the orange items are "carrot" sticks, not cheeze-doodles. And the pretzels are normal, not chocolate covered.
Jeese my monitor sucks. I had to lean it halfway towards me to confirm your comment. Now you've lost me on the fun part and perhaps confirmed that satan is at the root of D&D. Where are the good snacks?
S - not only were there carrots - but we had fine wine, beer, tuna on a bed of rice with a hawaiian sauce, and a two layer vanilla cake for dessert.
rick,
now that actually sounds pretty good. what's in the hawaiian sauce?
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