Dungeon World

I've been interested in Dungeons & Dragons for as long as I can remember. I've played here and there since my junior year of high school, but I've never stuck with the same game or group for very long.

Two years ago I asked some friends if they'd want to play D&D. They had never really done so before, but were interested. Part of what piqued this interest was Stranger Things. The references to D&D in that show were really great. I ran the game as Dungeon Master (DM) for a few months--I know, how cool am I? Eventually when I returned to school I couldn't spend enough time planning the games and we stopped playing. In January of 2018, we decided to play the game again with a new DM. We've been playing that game since.

For a while, it was incredibly fun. I looked forward to our sessions held once every one or two weeks. But eventually, I started to lose interest. I didn't feel engaged as I had before. I started to dread our sessions. They felt like work instead of fun.

A few weeks ago, a couple of the party members were unavailable to play. One of our players took this opportunity to schedule something called a one-shot. Normally, our sessions have a connected story that plays out over the course of months or years. In a one-shot, the story is contained in a single evening of play. We could try new characters and a new person would be our DM.

I don't want to take anything away from our normal DM. I know how hard of a job it is and how much work he's put into our game. But the new DM was fantastic. He abandoned the old set of rules and used an alternate role-playing template, called Dungeon World. He started the session by giving the players the guidelines to how this game would be played. He wrote them out on a numbered list, explaining the significance of each has he went along. He then posted the list to the wall above his head. It was like how courts post the U.S. Constitution. Guideline number one: Have fun.

He was engaged and engaged each player. He helped each person create a meaningful character with a compelling story. He raised thoughtful questions and elaborated on our answers. There was a collaborative effort between all involved to make the game as fun as possible. He promoted this atmosphere and guided our group to success.

If you want some insight on how to be a good teacher, watch my friend run a game of Dungeon World. It should come as no surprise that he excels in this area: he has a Master's Degree in Speech Language Pathology. It's his job to talk to students, get them to talk, and foster their development. I also want more people to play games like Dungeon World. It's a creative and metacognitive exercise that should be especially rewarding for teachers and students. Learning how the game works might help teachers plan their lessons better. Students could benefit from an alternative outlet for writing.

Please give Dungeon World, D&D, or something like them a try. You can come play with my friends if you want. I promise you'll have fun.