Lately I have been experiencing what can only be described as D&D withdrawals. (For you newbs, D&D means Dungeons and Dragons. Yes, THAT Dungeons and Dragons.) While I still have games like WoW to console me, nothing quite compares to a good days worth of fantasy role play.

I finally got to play D&D for the first time last year. I’ve always been curious about it, but sadly the guys at my highschool were into playing Magic: The Gathering. The group I play with now has seen the game evolve through several editions, but my induction into the game has been solely through the 4th Edition.

D&D is unlike anything I’ve ever played before. There are rules, but they can be fairly flexible (depending on your DM). The game is truly what you and your group make it. Even a DM with a clear sense of where they want things to go can end up surprised by the ingenuity (and sometimes sheer stupidity) of the players. For instance, one evening our characters wound up in an unexpected bar fight resulting in one being thrown in the slammer to sober up. Let’s see that happen in a game of WoW.

Another amazing thing is the versatility of the characters. I’m fortunate not to play with a bunch of folks who feel the need to make the darkest anti-hero named Raven Darkthwain or some such, but they have definitely gotten creative. As of now we actually play two alternating campaigns and everyone has two very different characters. I swap back and forth between playing a sullen and sarcastic shifter ranger class, and a perky and well-intentioned gnome bard.

I think another reason D&D appeals to me is because it hearkens back to when I was growing up and playing board games with my family. Videogames and TV are all fine and dandy, but they tend to lack some of the social interaction I enjoy. D&D allows me to hang out with my friends and geek out; two of my most favourite things. It also lets me open up my imagination and be creative.

If you’ve made it this far into my post, there’s still a good chance you think all D&D players are like this:

Quite frankly, in some ways we are. But if you ever get a chance to join a game, I urge that you give it a go. You might be surprised with how much fun it can be.