OCEAN COUNTY – In an age of virtual reality, artificial intelligence and more computer games than you can shake a controller at, an enduring gaming favorite requires only the power of your own imagination.
Dungeons & Dragons created a phenomenon in the 1970s, breathing life (and fire) into the genre of fantasy through a polyhedral dice and a game coordinator called a “Dungeon Master.”
On the heels of the hit film, “Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves” that was released earlier this year, the Ocean County Library is providing a “Dungeons & Dragons Crash Course” at several branches this summer.
Dungeons & Dragons (commonly abbreviated as D&D) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR) and derived from miniature wargames, with a variation of the 1971 game Chainmail serving as the initial rule system.
Manchester branch Librarian Assistant Brendan Cahill instructs individuals on how to play the popular fantasy tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. (Photo by Bob Vosseller)
D&D’s publication is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry. It influenced video games, especially the role-playing video game genre. It
departs from traditional wargaming by allowing each player to create their own character to play instead of a military formation.
The created characters embark upon adventures within a fantasy setting – lofty mountains, jungle ruins, and mighty castles. The recent film was based on the tabletop role-playing game and as a result there has been a resurgence in interest to playing the game not that it ever went out of style.
The library’s six-branch program is being conducted by Manchester Librarian Assistant Brendan Cahill who developed the presentation. “Last year I ran this during FanNation (an annual event in Toms River that brings together individuals interested in science fiction, fantasy, horror, gaming and comic books).”
“I was contacted to see if I would do it as a program for other branches as it is a very popular,” Cahill said. “I first got into (D&D) by playing with my family around five years ago. My siblings and I really like to play and I got my aunt, uncle and mother into it.”
“I played a number of campaigns with my friends. It is me being the DM (Dungeon Master) and this way I am the person who runs the world. I am God,” Cahill said with a chuckle.
Cahill’s 90-minute course is aimed toward those who want to learn how to play or run a D&D campaign and teaches gamers the basics of D&D 5th edition. It includes how to create a character, filling out their attributes in pencil and paper. If someone wants to run a campaign as a Dungeon Master, he offers tips on that as well.
He explained, “the 5th edition is the easiest one to get into by far. It isn’t as complex as older editions. There is a lot of different stuff for D&D.” He brought along several reference books such as “Balder’s Gate,” “Ghosts of Salt Marsh” and the “Monster Manual” all of which are available to take out from the library.
Dungeons & Dragons books provide vast information for campaigns of the game and are available to take out at the Ocean County Library. (Photo by Bob Vosseller)
Cahill’s program also served as a refresher for players who hadn’t played in a while.
He noted that OCL’s branches have meeting rooms that can be booked two hours at a time and “could be used for D&D campaigns and we have a lot of good resources so you don’t even need to buy anything except the dice.”
Whiting resident Brian Bieth said prior to Cahill’s program that he wanted to “learn the basic bare bones of Dungeons & Dragons because the last time I played was a couple of years ago so this will be a refresher – and maybe I will learn something I don’t know.”
Manchester resident Conor Malloy said after the presentation, “I wanted to know more about the basic rules and the mechanics of the game. I played D&D on Discord but we don’t get together very often.”
Painted figures representing characters from the popular board game Dungeons & Dragons are seen during a program where new members and those who wanted a refresher on the game received instruction by a librarian assistant. (Photo by Bob Vosseller)
“This is something really cool because I can learn the basics so I can understand what I need to do. I also thought it would just be fun,” Malloy added.
Along with the Manchester branch, Cahill brough his program to the Long Beach Island and Plumsted branches. His D&D Crash Course will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the following branches: the Stafford Branch on August 23, call 609-597-3381 to register and the Toms River Branch on August 28, call 732-349-6200 to register.
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