Greetings! It’s a new month and time for a new post. However, this is not just another month, my friends. It’s December! Or, as some of us call it, D&Dcember! Therefore, buckle in friends, we’re going on an adventure into the world of Dungeons & Dragons!
For those of you that are unfamiliar with the idea of Dungeons & Dragons, it is, to put it simply, a tabletop roleplaying game in which players take place in a fantasy-fueled adventure run by a Dungeon Master (or Game Master). D&D has experienced a resurgence due to shows like Stranger Things (available on DVD and Blu-ray), resulting in a Hollywood adaptation, Dungeons & Dragons movie Honor Among Thieves, (DVD, Blu-ray) and an astounding number of published books.
If you’re interested in getting into playing, our libraries have the 2014 5th edition versions of the Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide. These are the trifecta when it comes to discovering the basics and learning all about how the game works. There is a 2024 5th edition out as well, but overall, the differences between the two versions aren’t huge, and the basics are still the same.
Besides the main trio, there is a boatload of other publications. Many of these are supplements providing new settings, stories, characters, and player options. Here are links to the ones our libraries own:
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
Guildmasters’ guide to Ravnica
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel
Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Van Richten’s guide to Ravenloft
There are, of course, unofficial books that are really cool. So You Want to be a Game Master has a plethora of information about how to run a game of your own. The Game Master’s Guide to Fantasy Mapmaking shows you how to create your own maps for games. Rolled & Told: Volume 1 also compiles a lot of original ideas to try.
If you’d like to learn more about the history of D&D overall, some of the books I would recommend are Rise of the Dungeon Master: Gary Gygax and the Creation of D&D, Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It, and Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons and Dragons. Each book offers interesting information and insight into the creation of the franchise we have today. If you want more a visual history, check out Dungeons & Dragons: Art & Arcana.
For those of you more interested in the fictional side of things, lots of official novels have been published as well, like Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd, Starlight Enclave, and Spelljammer: Memory’s Wake. However, there are all kinds of books that take inspiration from D&D and run with it. For example, cozy fantasy stories have surged in the last few years, one of the most popular of which is Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. Even titles like Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods and They Met in a Tavern by Elijah Menchaca have elements taken from the popular franchise.
As always, if you’re looking to make food, there are cookbooks. Be it snacks or full meals, we have you covered! Heroes’ Feast and/or Heroes’ Feast: Flavors of the Multiverse are the officially licensed D&D cookbooks. There are other fun options, though, like Roll for Sandwich. (Bonus points if you make someone spit out their drink at the table using a joke from A Dragon Walks into a Bar: 300+ One Liners, Zingers, and Jokes That Will Slay!)
If you want a board game that has the same adventuring vibes, I highly suggest Dragonwood: A Game of Dice & Daring (which is at our Eastlake branch) and is a great alternative to D&D, especially for kids that you might want to introduce into the concept. 5 Minute Dungeon, which our Willoughby branch owns, is also an excellent game and only takes 5 minutes!
Starting in January, the Eastlake branch will be beginning a programming series focusing on different aspects of tabletop roleplaying games. A program will take place every other month. January’s first installment will be about character creation (which I will be running, so come see me!).
In February, the Willowick branch is having an event presented by Guild Forge Games that will be teaching the basics at Dungeons and Dragons 101. This will be an excellent primer for those new to the game and are interested in the teen D&D series that happens over the summer or the one-shots for adults that will also resume in February.
Keep an eye out for the announcement of our winter program guide and events to go live so that you can sign up!
See you in the new year, friends! Thank you for reading and supporting your local libraries!
-Bryn
