Dungeons and Dragons

                     So as my first article for the blog I thought I would write about something everyone cares about and is very mainstream to we can get publicity, DnD.  DnD or D&D is a role playing game where you can do just about anything. The game is very customizable and there are hundreds of adaptations and additions to the game that make it just what you want. But not only is it customizable, it’s a 100% sandbox style game, if you want it to be.  Sure there are the official games and rulebooks but the reason I love Dungeon and Dragons is because of the fact that you can make your own game in very little time. I read through the “Monster Manual” the “Dungeon Master's Guide” and of corse the “Dungeons & Dragons Players' Handbook.” I have these books sitting next to me, and there very interesting. I don't own them but a friend let me borrow them.

                     For me, these game rules are way to in-depth and complicated, so me and my friends wrote our own homebrew DnD campaigns. My friend Will made one, it used graph paper for maps and things like eraser bits for players. He wrote his game with all individual items with names and stats on cards, pretty cool but we never got to play too much of that. His game used two 6 sided dice. My other friend Sebastian made a homebrew game too, his also used the graph paper and small player pieces (pretty much whatever we had on hand) but he thought Wills items were too complex, so instead, me and him came up with the idea to have a 6x6 grid to give us a total of 36 items. He thought up to use the same grid for mobs, including passive, hostile, and boss mobs. We got to play this a few times, and it was really fun, but we just never had enough time to play a full game. I also wrote a game but mine used full sized maps (somewhere around 3’ x 3’). Sadly I still haven't finished the first map but is a slow work and progress. (picture) The only major difference between my game and my friends is that mine used a DM or Dungeon Master. 

(Example map off of google images)

                     Map making is very fun, for a small map, all you need is a pen, ruler, and some graph paper. For a big map, I go to Staples and buy a nice gridded porter board. Whether you are drawing on paper or a big poster, it NEEDS to be gridded, preferably not black on white, just something more faded but still visible. In my ruleset, I use an “S” to mark the start or spawn for players, as well as other symbols like a square with a “C” is a chest for loot, there are always little locks and keys and doors on my maps too, because even if there is an objective it has to be interesting. Bottom line is that making your own game and map, gathering some friends, and playing a few games is very fun and I would recommend it to any friend, nerdy or not.