The best decision I made in my first semester at FSU was joining a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Now, pause. That may have made you raise an eyebrow, but hear me out. Sure, there are other things first-year students may put on their “best decisions” list. Going to the Leach on a regular schedule, signing up for that cool elective class, or discovering The Sweet Shop and substituting those pricy Starbucks sweet treats — those are all great too!
But I’m here to convince you that Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a super fun activity that can be for the girlies too. I’m FSU’s official D&D spokesperson! Hired by no one, unfortunately, though I wouldn’t turn down a $20 an hour salary for the yappin’ I’m about to do for FSU’s underground tabletop gaming society.
You might be familiar with D&D if you’re a big Stranger Things fan. That’s where I got my first exposure to it. But I finally started playing after getting addicted to a video game that came out last year and even won the coveted Game of the Year award — Baldur’s Gate 3. But I’m not here to sell Baldur’s Gate 3 to you. In fact, there’s something more important that the game did for me besides being fun to play. Engaging with the game’s online community showed me that D&D players come from a diverse range of backgrounds and were immensely supportive to anyone looking to start playing for the first time.
When I walked to the first meeting of the campaign I joined at the SLC, I was worried that I’d be the only person like me at the table rolling dice. I wasn’t. Take it from me, the D&D community may surprise you, should you choose to start playing. D&D players, even at FSU, come from a wide variety of identities and backgrounds (like me, your typical nerdy gamer girl) and are super friendly to anyone wanting to play. D&D is a team sport — only together do we create a story worth playing and telling.
Without further ado, let me tell you the top reasons why joining a D&D campaign at FSU was a great decision.
Booktok Brought to Life
So, I’m a huge fantasy nerd. Ever since I watched the Tinkerbell movie when I was little with all the fairies in Neverland and their cool talents, I was hooked. I loved the idea of imagining a world where anything was possible, and I could be me but much cooler and with special powers!
The world that your D&D campaign takes place in is up to the person who runs your game, the Dungeon Master (DM). They could use the world provided by the D&D handbook, the Sword Coast, or make a world of their own with lore to go with it, usually called a “homebrew.” I’ve seen a range of creative homebrew worlds, from medieval fantasy lands to galactic space-war planets. You never know what you’ll get!
Even if your DM comes up with a new and exciting fantasy world, there’s still a set list of species and backgrounds to choose for your character, like elf, tiefling, human, or dwarf, to name a few. I’m currently playing a blue tiefling sorcerer named Mistari, pronounced like “mystery.” Yes, I went for the character with the most dramatic flair.
This, to me, is like fantasy BookTok brought to life. Instead of reading about these fantasy worlds, I get to actively participate in them and create my own character to live inside of them. It gives you the opportunity to engage with a story on a level that is so much more entertaining than reading it passively. For any of the girlies obsessed with fantasy like me, D&D might be the perfect opportunity for you to finally live in the fantasy world of your dreams.
Good Party, Good Friends
Dungeons & Dragons has been a highlight of my time at FSU because of the incredible opportunity it provides for making new friends and unique connections with your classmates. It’s one thing to meet someone in a lecture hall or at a party, but it’s entirely another to traverse mythical lands and face daunting bosses together at the D&D table.
In my D&D group, we’ve shared countless hours of laughter, tension, and triumph. These shared experiences go beyond the game — they’ve translated into a camaraderie that’s hard to find elsewhere. We’ve become a tight-knit party not just in-game but in real life too, supporting each other through exams, drama, and all the other ups and downs college life throws our way.
Playing D&D allows you to connect with others on a deeply creative level. You’re not just discussing class assignments or the latest campus gossip; you’re building worlds together, solving problems, and creating stories that you’ll reminisce about long after the campaign ends.
It’s this creative collaboration that fosters a unique bond among players. Your characters might start off as strangers within the game, but by the end, they — and by extension, you — have formed a profound connection that’s genuinely special!
Stretch Those Creative Muscles
Whether you’re pursuing a major that inherently demands creativity (like art, music, or writing) or you’re in a field that might not seem to require it at first glance (such as engineering or science), Dungeons & Dragons offers a unique space to flex and strengthen your creative muscles.
For those of us who might not get to use our imaginative skills in our academic courses as much as we’d like, D&D serves as a perfect outlet. It’s a space where the wildest ideas can not only take form but can thrive and impact a shared storytelling experience.
This creative exercise is invaluable. It teaches you to think on your feet, solve problems in unconventional ways, and envision complex worlds and characters that are bound only by the limits of your imagination.
Also, this creative practice has real-world applications. It can enhance your ability to think critically and creatively in your field of study, encourage innovative approaches to problem-solving, and improve your storytelling skills — useful for everything from writing essays to presenting projects.
The collaborative nature of D&D also mirrors the collaborative efforts needed in both academic and professional environments, making it an enjoyable yet practical way to develop these essential skills of life!
What Are You Waiting For?
So, if you’re now extremely convinced to join FSU’s underground D&D society by this article — the result of my NAT 20 roll on a charisma check — you can check out the official FSU D&D Discord. There, you’ll find information on games looking for players, players looking for games, and the weekly campaigns that happen at 8 p.m. on Fridays in the Student Union.
Playing D&D here on campus is the highlight of my week. Maybe it can be yours too!
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