Does the fantasy genre strike your interest? Into magical series like Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia? Do you ever wish that instead of being a student or teacher, you could soar through the clouds on a magic carpet, or fight off monsters to save a princess? If so, then you may share the imaginative qualities found in the Dungeons and Dragons club!
At Westtown, the Dungeons and Dragons club continues to inspire creativity. Led by Dungeon Master’s ( DM) Nick Fabricatore ’25 and Oliver Hart ’24, students are invited to not only hear a compelling story, but be part of one as well.
Dungeons and Dragons is a fantasy, open-world, role-playing game. People who wish to play can come together and start a campaign, which is a journey that takes place in a fantasy world and is controlled by a leading player known as the Dungeon Master. Players explore fantasy worlds and embark on magical quests, and the Dungeon Master tells the story and makes the rules for what can and can’t be done. Players can also choose their in-game decisions, similar to beloved choose-your-own-adventure books.
“[It’s] a collaborative choose-your-own-adventure,” said Fabricator about D&D. He continued by explaining how the game works.
“It’s played in a fantasy setting, so you get dragons, magic, wizards, stuff like that. Typical D&D games are made up of adventures in a group called a ‘party,’” Fabricatore said.
When describing campaigns, Fabricatore said that they can be about anything the Dungeon Master chooses. Being inspired from the movie Pacific Rim, Fabricatore came up with an inspired and also creative story:
“My adventuring party is trying to rebuild pieces of a giant, ancient mech that a long dead race of people used to fight Godzilla-like ancient monsters,” said Fabricatore. “Now one of these Godzilla-like monsters is coming back into the world, and they need to find the mech and rebuild it before the thing gets there so they can fight it. That’s what my campaign is about.”
The players in Fabricatore’s campaign are currently interacting with this story, and are the main characters within it.
“One person is the Dungeon Master, and they kinda narrate the game,” Hart said, describing game-play. “They set the location and the encounters. The rest of the people are players, and they make characters. The most rules-intensive part of the game is just making a character and after that it’s pretty straightforward.”
The description, of the main character as a narrator, paints Dungeons and Dragons to be like a storybook, which should definitely sound intriguing to avid readers. Hart continued to explain that the players drive the story, while the Dungeon Master tells them their outcomes and options. “I have a biased viewpoint because I’ve played more as a Dungeon Master than as a player,” Hart said. “But from my experience, the players drive it; I’m just there to facilitate and make everything work out for the players. If the players have fun, then I’m having fun.”
According to Hart, there are also an “infinite number of things that can happen.” All of which is involved with story and roleplaying. When asked about his campaign, Hart revealed that it actually gets quite complex.
“It goes really deep because I spent the whole summer working on it” Hart said. “It’s city based, and takes place in a massive super-city with a wasteland outside of it. There’s a political aspect, and political tension. The royal family has been assassinated, all these different groups are scrambling for power and the group of players is caught up in it.”
Finally, when asked about how it feels to be a Dungeon Master, they give a very positive response:
“I find it fun and exciting” Hart said. “I get to share these fun moments with my friends, and I look forward so much to some of the things I have prepared.”
Both Hart and Fabricatore run very different campaigns, offering options for new players who may be unsure what kind of story they would like to engage in. Dungeons and Dragons is definitely one of the most creative and interesting clubs at Westtown, so you should consider joining if adventure and uncertainty are up your alley!
