Dungeons and Dragons | My Most Memorable Experiences
Table of Contents
THE BEGINNING OF DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS
My experiences with Dungeons and Dragons began as a young adult with version 3.5 in early 2000. We were a group of six. One of the members of our group has a father who was a minister of a church. There was a trailer around the back of the church for Sunday school. The minister’s son suggested that we use the trailer as a spot to meet up for our sessions.
THE CONTROVERSY
Around the time I started to play Dungeons and Dragons, the reputation of the game was not good. Some players, including myself, were victims of bullying. I was a nerd, dork, and any other name you can come up with.
In recent years, I had a rather interesting interaction with my grandmother when I told her that I play Dungeons and Dragons. She asked me if I worship the devil and if I try to summon demons. The expression on her face suggested quite a bit of concern. She believes that everyone who plays Dungeons and Dragons practices some level of Satanism. I did my best to explain to her that playing Dungeons and Dragons does not require its players to practice Satanism.
There are a plethora of articles on Dungeons and Dragons and its association with Satanism.
The church and its members initially denied the request to use the trailer to host our Dungeons and Dragons sessions. Some members of the church believed that we would practice Satanism on church grounds. It took some convincing and promises to get access to the trailer.
THE RESULT
We finally got usage rights to the trailer, which we used on a bi-weekly basis to host our D&D sessions. The setup was fantastic. We had a private and quiet space to have an adventure. The trailer included comfy chairs, a large table, a sink, a refrigerator, and temperature control. We took turns bringing snacks (GM excluded).
The first character I created was an Elvish Sorcerer named Bayne Hellbringer. Unfortunately, I can’t recall much about our campaign. About all I can remember is that we laughed, we cried, and we had a really good time. I still have Bayne’s character sheets.
DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS YEARS LATER
My wife and I moved out of our home state. We didn’t know anyone in the area aside from a few family members. In an attempt to make friends, we joined a board game meetup. We would drive a total of two hours to go to these meetups. That didn’t matter though. We met some wonderful people.
One of the members of the board game group came up to me and my wife and asked us if we would be interested in playing Dungeons and Dragons. I immediately replied yes and my wife did as well. The next thing I know, we have a group of five ready to set off for an adventure in Dungeons and Dragons version 5e.
MY CHARACTER
I play a Female Wood Elf Rogue named Nixe. She is a timid one and tends to distrust everyone around her. Her past has been plagued with death, betrayal, and surviving in the harshest of terms. However, fate directs her to a group of individuals that take her in as one of their own. As time goes on, she becomes reliant on the group while doing her part to serve the group as well. She works on healing her flaws while she forms friendships and builds trust.
Nixe has a mouse companion named Nib. The mouse came to her when her home village was attacked by monsters that killed just about everyone she knew, including her parents. Nixe has a special bond with Nib. They are inseparable and work together to perform simple tasks such as retrieving a key or putting on a performance of entertainment or deceit. The special bond allows Nixe to focus her energy to see through Nib’s eyes.
Nixe on D&D Beyond: https://ddb.ac/characters/180164/U1XdV0
MY MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE
The campaign scenario is long so I won’t go into that. Instead, I want to focus on a specific scenario within the campaign.
Our group ends up in the Temple of Karsus located in Phandalin. After making our way through most of the temple, we come upon a large, dark room filled with fog. We hear a slurping sound at the far end of the room.
Instead of rushing into the room, one of the members of our group hands me a rusty dagger. After a brief discussion, we decided that I should take a chance and throw the rusty dagger into the darkness. I decide to use my rogue assassination skills and throw the rusty dagger into the back of the room shrouded in darkness.
THE ATTACK
When I roll to see if I hit something, I roll a natural 20 which results in a critical hit. I have the assassin sub-class so I score another critical hit based on my assassinate ability. Since I am a rogue, I get a sneak attack bonus as well. A dagger does 1d4 damage. However, I have a RUSTY DAGGER. If I remember correctly, the damage for the RUSTY DAGGER is 1d3. The formula for my attack looks something like this:
Natural 20 (Critical Hit) + Assassinate (Assassin Ability) + Sneak Attack (Rogue Ability) + Damage (Weapon Damage) = AN INSANE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE FROM A RUSTY DAGGER
THE RESULT
Come to find out, a Gelatinous Cube was hiding in the back of the room waiting to ambush our group. However, I hit the damn thing with AN INSANE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE FROM A RUSTY DAGGER and I killed it in one hit. The DM rolls his eyes in disbelief while the jaw of every group member drops. It takes me a minute to register what transpired. We end up avoiding an entire encounter that may have been a difficult one because of Nixe and a rusty dagger.
What a truly memorable experience.
THE END OF AN ERA
I have played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons. Some campaigns were long and some short. The memories and friendships that I have made through my experiences with Dungeons and Dragons have been and continue to be valuable treasures. I love Dungeons and Dragons and I know I will play again in the future.
I have come to a point in my life where I want to try something new. There are a ton of tabletop RPGs out there and the only one besides Dungeons and Dragons that I have tried is Rifts. On top of that, I have always been a player and I want to try and run a game as the Dungeon Master. It just so happens that a new tabletop RPG based on a true passion of mine comes along at a time when I am ready to try something new.
ALIEN RPG
The Alien franchise has a special place in my heart. I have watched the first two films countless times (the other movies were okay) and read some of the comics and books. I have a facehugger tattoo on my right leg as well as two xenomorphs and a Derelict (the Alien spacecraft) tattooed on my back (along with two Predators). My son’s name is Ridley (if we had a daughter, her middle name was going to be Ripley). I’m not saying that I am an expert in the Alien franchise. What I am saying is that I am a huge fan.
The core rulebook of the tabletop role-playing game Alien RPG was released on December 10, 2019, and was published by Free League Publishing. However, I had not heard about the game until the third quarter of 2020. I knew right away that I wanted to get my hands on the book.
For Christmas of 2020, I received the Alien RPG core rulebook from a family member and I began reading the book that night. Immediately I knew that I wanted Alien RPG to be the first game that I run as the Dungeon Master. I started to ask my friends if they would be interested in playing and t took me some time but I was able to get a group of four together.
The homebrew campaign that I am running as Game Mother (Alien RPG’s version of the Dungeon Master) is written by me. The title of the campaign is Halifax: Precious Cargo Betwixt Dragons and Ghosts. As of the time that I am writing this article, the game is still running.
READ, WATCH, AND LISTEN
We record our sessions and make them available in several formats.