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Imagine this: A mysterious man, his face partially hidden beneath a hood, sat at a small table with a group of green adventurers. The din of patrons merrily drinking ale and the jaunty melody from a bard’s lute filled the would-be heroes’ ears. Then, the hooded man spoke in a gravelly voice.
"I am the guild master of Waterdeep. I have brought you all here today to hopefully save the world."
Those were the words from Dungeon Master Jake Stamper that started off Dungeons & Dragons gamers on a quest to kill the queen of dragons and save the realm … in the lower level of the Kokomo Howard County Public Library Main Branch on Jan. 13.
KHCPL's Ben Rutz, the library's Digital Den director, along with Stamper and other gaming enthusiasts, put together the seven-hour event which brought out more than 30 gamers on a cold Saturday afternoon. Some were veterans, like Jason Van Haecke, owner of Kingdom Cards and Games of Kokomo, who brought out different gaming scenarios to sell. Others were youngsters who accompanied their parents to their first event.
Rutz explained that all that is needed to play Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) "is a Dungeon Master who basically prepares the world you are going to be playing in." These gaming masters put together the scenarios, or “campaigns.” The other players control characters within the game, seeking fame, glory, and a good story.
For the marathon event, Stamper modeled the adventure to reflect the themes from “Tyranny of Dragons,” the first series of adventures published by Dungeons & Dragons owner Wizards of the Coast for the game’s fifth edition. It is widely embraced as a seminal work that many players have experienced since its debut in 2014.
At the game table, players used sheets containing statistics and written descriptions as well as 29 mm miniatures to represent their characters. And they rolled assorted, polyhedral dice to determine the outcome of the moves and actions performed during the game. For this particular event, Dustin Henderson of Torsten & Harvester created 3D-printed and hand-painted dragons to give more realism to the gamers’ experience.
The event ran until 8 p.m., but there were plenty of snacks, drinks, and the promise of pizza at the 5 o'clock hour to sustain the gamers.
"That's what is so exciting about these events here at KHCPL,” said Rutz. “It is really cool to see people of all ages coming together to play these games and have a good time."
Rutz and KHCPL have planned D&D events for the upcoming year, and even an event during the April solar eclipse, which will involve the game’s “Spelljammer” rules set, also known as “D&D in space.”
To find out more about D&D gaming and other events at the KHCPL check out their website, khcpl.org or contact the library main branch at 765-457-3242.