(Photo by Scott Swigart, used via Creative Commons permissions)
Dungeons & Dragons, the ever-evolving and never-ending OG RPG (Original Role Play Game) has become a fixture of the social table gaming community for nearly 50 years.
Today, Saturday, June 16, 2018, actor and author Wil Wheaton (Yep, the guy who plays himself on The Big Bang Theory) will teach the fundamentals of being a Dungeon Master, at the Altadena Library from 2:00 p.m. To 5:00 p.m.
Wheaton, creator of the TableTop web series, will go over the nuances of the fantasy tabletop role-playing game that has been a popular indoor sport since its creation in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson of TSR, inc.
Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is most recognized as giving rise in popularity to RPG and fueling a multi-million industry, which now spans many fantasy worlds, that is cosplay.
A Dungeon Master guides the players through a hidden maze of rooms, corridors, through traps and to treasures, encountering monsters, demons, and all variety of magical creatures – that can either harm or hurt based serendipitous roll of the die – either using an existing dungeon mapping system (pre-published) or one of their own creation. Thus a Dungeon Master becomes your characters guide, your storyteller, and determiners of your fate in a world that evolves with every toss of the die.
A 20-sided die on top of a Dungeons & Dragons character sheet, April 10, 2010 (Photo by Janet Galore, Seattle, Creative Commons Attribution, via Flickr)
Originally largely influenced by many characters found within J.R.R. Tolkien’s middle earth, characters are either designed by a player, once again the roll of the die determines various character abilities, talents, skill, acuity, and strengths. The characters move through the game interacting with each other and various predetermined characters/creatures/situations while gathering additional skills, treasure, and knowledge. As in life, they gain experience points and rise to additional levels.
With his break out roll in Stand By Me in 1986, Wil Wheaton went on to be cast as Wesley Crusher in the massive television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Since, he has written multiple books, including “Just a Geek: Unflinchingly Honest Tales of the Search for Life, Love, and Fulfillment Beyond the Starship Enterprise,” and is currently producer and creator of the web series “Tabletop” currently in its fourth season.
Dungeon Master training at the Altadena Library begins at 2:00 p.m. today, beginning with the Mechanics of Being a Dungeon Master, then at 3:30 p.m. with the Fundamentals of Being a Storyteller, and at 5:00 p.m. with Practice Your New Skills.
The instructional is for all ages and the event is free. The Altadena Library is located at 600 E. Mariposa Street, Altadena. For more information visit www.altadenalibrary.org or call (626) 798-0833.
(Image courtesy of Altadena Libraries)
