By, Phoenix Robertson

Do you like action? Adventure? Magic and mystery? If so, join me at the Roundtable today! The Roundtable is a student-led club here at Heritage that joins together each week to create a sense of community, and, most importantly of all, to play Dungeons and Dragons. Dungeons and Dragons, or D&D, is a role-playing game for all ages where players explore fantasy worlds created by their Dungeon or Game Master and the characters they create. In order to be successful in their ventures, players must learn to work together, problem solve, and get creative to defeat monsters and advance in the adventure. The more you play, the stronger you get. As you and your party grow in strength, the kind of adventures you can go on change as well. Dungeons and Dragons is a fun game for players of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels. Unlike many other games, which require users to spend hundreds of dollars on expansion packs and systems, the only true requirement to play is a sense of imagination and adventure.

I started playing D&D during the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. I, like many others, felt isolated and bored out of my mind. What was I supposed to do while I sat at home for what felt like forever? Television felt old, and there’s only so much good that can be done in a few hundred days on my Animal Crossing island. I wanted something new. Something I’d never tried before. Something that would allow me to go beyond my room, my neighborhood, and the immediate bounds of my reality. Dungeons and Dragons was my answer. I joined a school club for D&D and was instantly floored with the endless possibilities of what could happen. I distinctly remember my first adventure as a player. My character, a human fighter (very basic I know), and another member of the party (a party in D&D is the group of people that come together to partake in the adventure) went off into the woods to investigate loud noises and glimpses of fire. Together, we fought against awakened tree creatures. Our success, or rather escape, was narrow but that didn’t change the fact that I was hooked. I loved the feeling of the unknown and the knowledge that I could be exactly what I wanted to be.

Over the course of that school year, I got to learn more about my fellow party members and D&D as a whole. We became a true party inside of the game and out, with our DM to lead us, or as he called it, “herding us around”. At the end of that school year, we parted ways, but the good times and memories stayed with me.

I started regularly playing D&D again this school year when I became a member of the Roundtable. I must admit that I was nervous to join at first. It felt like a huge deal to join a club and be a part of a party again when I’d been out of practice for so long. Against my hesitations, I went to my first meeting, and the first thing anyone said to me when I walked in the room was, “Welcome to nerd club.” I knew I was in the right place. Over the following weeks, I kept coming back, got to know the club members better, and formed a new sense of community. I’ve greatly enjoyed my time at the Roundtable so far and am definitely glad I came. Don’t let your fear of failure prevent you from success.

If I’ve piqued your interest, or if you feel you still need a bit more convincing, then I can safely assure you that I’m not the only person who’d give D&D and the Roundtable such a glowing review. Take it from co-Presidents Patrick Jordan and Anthony Tortorici, two Heritage High seniors who formed the Roundtable. When asked about the Roundtable, Anthony said, “The D&D club is honestly a ton of fun, two days a week we all meet and just get to play D&D… there’s nothing really like it here.” This speaks to the sense of community and fun that has been established here at Heritage in the D&D community. To specifically talk about the importance of community in the Roundtable, Patrick stated, “I started it [The Roundtable] with the idea that anybody could come here and live whatever life they wanted to.” As a current player in a game that Patrick is running, he certainly lets his players live the life they want– my current mission is to make a BLT out of scavenged materials. Both Anthony and Patrick are stellar Dungeon Masters and club leaders who help their players to have a bash and feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves. Many of the current members of the Roundtable also had heartfelt commentary on what the club means to them. Roundtable member Cael Bergquist shared, “The D&D club is a great place to escape reality and school work and to meet up with some good friends.” D&D is also a fantastic way to meet new people, as was attested by Heritage sophomore Warren Itenson, “We have a lot of fun, and I’ve met a lot of people through this club alone. I’d welcome anyone to join.” Above all, I think club member Chris Itenson said it best when he said, “We get to live out some of our greatest fantasies from being a tax collector… to being a WWE wrestler. It’s a lot of fun.” 

Playing Dungeons and Dragons has been an amazing experience for me and my hope is that all people will have the opportunity to engage with it like I have. In order to keep this door of opportunity open at Heritage, the Roundtable needs more people like you. Please reach out via this Google Form to keep the flame of the Roundtable burning bright for years to come. If you fill out the previous form, you will be placed in contact with the club Presidents.

Thank you all for reading this article, and I’d like to send a special thank you out to the members of the Roundtable for answering my questions and assisting me with the writing of this article. The Roundtable currently meets on Wednesday in room 632 and Thursday in room 2524 from 2:30 to 3:30. Stay safe, have fun, and keep it critical.