Rescued from 80s obscurity by shows like Stranger Things and the latest live-action film adaptation, Dungeons and Dragons is once again enjoying the fandom spotlight.
At its core, Dungeons and Dragons (or D&D) is a role-playing game where the players work together to overcome obstacles and achieve the goals of their characters. This can include quests such as exploring a dungeon, rescuing villagers from a magical curse or searching for missing family members. The difficulty of the game is controlled by the Game Master (GM) or Dungeon Master (DM) who plays the roles of non-player characters, monsters and villains. They are also responsible for creating or finding puzzles for the players to solve and unlock clues along the way. Game sessions can vary in length from one-shot stories that can be played in a few hours to campaigns spanning years.
Not only does playing D&D encourage people to work together and improve their communication skills, it can also boost your mental health, opens a new window! Players benefit from the need to creatively solve problems, opens a new window and look for out-of-the-box solutions. There are many surprising educational benefits, opens a new window, as evidenced by a group of kids who played D&D after school and "scored significantly higher than the rest of their district peers on a statewide test.
For players who want to dip their toes into the water of D&D, you can find starter kits that include all the basic rulebooks required to play the latest edition. The library offers supplemental rulebooks, campaign settings and dungeons and dragon stories for readers of all ages. There are also organized groups and leagues for D&D Beyond for players who don't have a local group to play with.
Looking for more ways to play? Explore the game collection in our Library of Things for a Dungeons & Dragons Starter Kit, board games and more.
Ready to go on a quest?
Roll for initiative with these tales of adventure that will have you on the edge of your seat and itching to gather your party of adventurers.
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