Pathfinder’s Strategic Gaming Club hosts weekly DnD game

“It was in seventh grade, and I had changed my wallpaper to a knight and a dragon. Mr. Osborn walked over…I didn’t know he was there until he tapped my shoulder and said, ‘after class, we need to talk.”

By a fortunate accident, Jerry Chen (9C), Mr. David Osborn, and Mr. Sean Costello founded the Pathfinder’s Strategic Gaming Club, a club that meets every Friday to play the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons.

Despite only two years of existence, the club has over fifty members across the middle and high schools. “I think we’re one of the fastest growing clubs in the school,” said Mr. Costello.

For those who are unfamiliar, Dungeons and Dragons is a role-playing game, but it’s not a computer game. It’s a game played face-to-face with three to six people. One person acts as Dungeon Master, who serves as a referee and storyteller, and the others act as characters in a party, interacting with each other and the storyteller.

The party meets various non-player characters, engages in battle, and gathers treasure. There’s even a complex leveling system, with dozens of skills that can be learned and a wealth of unique classes that influence your role-playing and battle capabilities. Free from the linear storytelling that video games often fall prey to, Dungeons and Dragons uses a high-fantasy setting to bring about off-the-rails fun.

“Mr. Costello took out this giant book, this core rulebook for Dungeons and Dragons. I saw so many races, so many classes, so many possibilities for me to choose from…I just felt like it was the game for me,” says Jerry.

To Mr. Costello, it’s no surprise that Dungeons and Dragons would find an eager player base in SMIC-I. “I know the popularity of online RPG’s [is] very high … and this is along the same vein,” he says.

“But this is even better. The stories are original, they’re your own. You’re not just going through somebody else’s planned package … You’re able to be with people at the moment, have face-to-face interaction, have friendships form, all that kind of stuff.”

“I’m really proud of students’ efforts to become savvy players.”

The club is introducing a whole new form of nerdish entertainment that, surprisingly, suits this East-Asian school well. So, fit my half-elf with chain mail and dump all my points into strength. It’s time for Dungeons and Dragons.

Featured Image – A game master prepares for another game of Dungeons and Dragons

Photos courtesy of Austin Liu