Good afterevenmorn, Readers!

So… I’m a nerd. I know, surprising, right? What might actually be surprising, though, is that I’ve never actually played a game of Dungeons & Dragons. I mean, I’ve had a couple of home-brewed one-shots many years ago, but I’m never actually played a proper campaign, with a regular crew. That changed this year. I started with a friend, who was part of another group, who then created a splinter group for a different game. I am part of that splinter group, starting a new campaign at ground zero.

Can I just say, I am loving it. It’s a very excellent way to explore character and motivation, as well as world-building and story-telling. If you struggle with any of these, consider starting a D&D campaign. Let’s explore what’s going on in my game, because I’m too enamoured with it currently not to share.

First, because I’m relatively new to the whole thing, I started out basic. The character I chose is closest to myself in both appearance and temperament, which is to say I am playing a human fighter. She’s wildly idealistic, believing her strength and talents should be used to protect those who cannot protect themselves. She is the embodiment of my favourite quote from The Lord of the Rings, as articulated by my favourite captain of Gondor, Faramir.

I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.

Which, incidentally, I intend to have tattooed to my person one of these days.

Unlike the devastating stories of early childhood trauma that seems to be the norm for player characters, Tabynthia’s childhood was happy. She grew up in a tiny village, who, like Sparta raises fighters. Unlike Sparta, however, this society is kind and open, and are directly responsible for instilling her belief that it is her duty in this life to defend the defenseless and protect the innocent.

Everyone, regardless of race or ability has a place in this village, provided they adhere to the tenants of life there (on of Taby’s best friends is a half-orc, whose father orcish father fell in love with one of the fighters when she was out in the world, and followed her, eventually joining the village, earning a living as a smith). Only those who are able are raised as warriors, and sent out into the world to make their mark and earn coin and when their adventuring is done, assuming they live, they return home to help raise and train the next generation of defenders.

The manner in which they make their coin matters, and upon their death, they must face the judgement of their ancestors, making a full accounting of their deeds in life. Only the worthy are permitted to join the ancestors in their eternal festivities. Everyone else is sent back to right their wrongs, or to try again and become worthy. Taby was loved by bother her parents, both of whom  are still alive. Her mother trained her in the fighting arts, and her grandmother, a great hero of her time, coached her in ethics growing up. Her father simply proudly doted. She is out in the world now as a young adult, attempting to make the world better for her being there.

That’s my character. I mean in game.

This is a very fun dynamic in game to play. It makes for some really interesting choices for the character; a narrative choice. Does Taby permit the horrors of the world make of her a cold, hardened warrior, or does she make the very deliberate choice to lean even harder into the kindness and belief in goodness that stands at the core of her upbringing? Will she maintain the belief in herself instilled in her by a family that loved and supported her, or will she fall into the trap of having her self of self erode away, leaving her in despair regarding her own abilities? Save the fortune or misfortune of the roll of the dice, everything about a character is a deliberate choice on the part of the player.

It’s a great way to examine character choices in narrative, for those of us who are writers. It’s also an interesting way to examine our choice in the real world. I know for a fact that I’ve often turned to thoughts of my character when I’ve been personally struggling. What would Tabynthia do? She’s become a source of inspiration for me… which is weird, since I made her up. But it’s true.

This is also the first time I’ve played in a world that isn’t of my own creation. This is a very new experience for me. I have never written fan fiction, and I haven’t partnered with another author to create a story together. So this is something that I approached with considerable trepidation. It can be really tough creating in a world that has constraints you did not yourself create, and so might have trouble keeping your character or actions within the bounds of those constraints.

This is a good thing, I think; an excellent exercise for writer. I have read a few writers who break their own world rules without any valid justification (“because the narrative demands it” is not sufficient). I’ve also read a lot of characters that are able to magically do something that doesn’t make sense for their characters to be able to do. Practice not being able to do these things, as is offered by D&D, can help here I think.

Incidentally, though I’ve not dabbled in it, fan fiction can also help with this, as it is someone else’s world and, if done correctly, rules. It can also break the world, but let’s not talk about that too much.

I have to say, the DM running my particular game is quite forgiving when it comes to permitting me to create the whole damned culture which gave us Tabynthia. This small collection of villages in northern Faerûn doesn’t exist explicitly in the books I was given to help me get a handle on the game. But I was allowed to have Tabynthia come from there all the same. He’s also extremely patient in talking me through what my character can do, so I can make informed choices in any interaction. So, depending on your DM, you may have a lot more leeway to exercise your imagination while still being mostly true to the game. Though I still grimace at his evil little chuckles.

This game also helps put you right in the shoes of your protagonist (and every player is the protagonist in their version of the story), so for anyone who struggles to see an alternate perspective, or having a character act differently from themselves in their fiction, this is a great way to exercise that particular muscle.

In order to do that, though, you must be willing to emphasize the role-playing aspect of this game. I have been letting my buried once-theatre kid have a ball with this character. It might take a bit for someone not used to inhabiting a role in this way to be able to do it, and perhaps a little longer to be comfortable doing it in a group setting, but it is well worth it; not just because it’s really fun, but also because it’s really good for seeing through another’s eyes. In writing and in life, this can only be a good thing.

Dungeons & Dragons is not just a great way to gather and play, but it can be a really serious exercise in good writing, in writing practice, and, like most fiction, dissecting the real world in which we live, and the actions of those in it in a more hands-on way than reading often permits (unless you’re like me, in which case you get so into a book you’re practically living it).

If you haven’t tried your hand at it yet, this is your sign to give it a go. Finding a good crew with a good DM can often be a challenge (hoy boy, have I heard some horror stories), but it’s well worth it if they can be found.

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When S.M. Carrière isn’t brutally killing your favorite characters, she spends her time teaching martial arts, live streaming video games, and sometimes painting. In other words, she spends her time teaching others to kill, streaming her digital kills, and sometimes relaxing. Her most recent titles include Daughters of Britain, Skylark and Human. The Timbercreek Incident is free to read on Wattpad.