Making your way through the aisles of books in the library after school, it’s hard to imagine there’s a whole other world just a few feet away.

Nestled in the back corner, circled together with their backpacks flopped on the floor, the newly formed Dungeons and Dragons Club have marked their territory. Every other Wednesday for 90 minutes the group has a special ability: transportation to another realm.

I hesitantly pull up a chair and sink into their world of dragons and magic, attentively watching the members. The first words out of their mouths when they see me? “Welcome to D&D Club.”

The pilot club started meeting this school year. In biweekly meetings, students band together to play the tabletop role-playing game of the same name. First created in 1974, Dungeons & Dragon is a tabletop game centered on fantasy stories involving everything from fairies and pirates to ogres and elves. Though players can find premade “campaigns,” or adventures to play, the unique quality of D&D is its ability to be fully customized. Players can create their own characters, and the game’s narrator, or “Dungeon Master,” can create the world and adventures for the rest of the group to explore.

While some may not recognize the game that peaked in popularity in the 80s, a striking resurgence of D&D has appeared after its prominent role in Stranger Things, a popular horror show set in the 80s. In the series, a rag-tag group of teenagers bond over their shared love of the game, and their gameplay reflects the supernatural and monstrous occurrences they experience in real life.

Although the game doesn’t conjure monsters to appear, its engaging and immersive gameplay might magically cause some participants to fall in love with it.

“I knew very little about the game when I first joined,” member Sarah Vallaly said. “I’m learning as I go and am having so much fun in the meantime.”

With the group’s recent formation, they have taken most of their time so far preparing their characters and organizing their stories. With the free reign given in D&D, players can choose to be virtually anyone or anything. 

“I’m an elf because they’re short like me, and I named her ‘Penicillium’ after the mold,” said senior Vivian Wagoner. 

As long as they can help their comrades accomplish their mission, it works.

As I showered them with questions, they tossed out terms I had never heard, laughing slightly at my puzzled expression. Slowly, they helped me build a character of my own, a Halfling warrior with more strength and charisma than I could ever have in real life. When they asked me what combat I wanted, I stared blankly in confusion. Instantly, two members jumped to their feet to act out the different types of fighting styles with imaginary weapons. With their energy and passion, they turned the quiet library into a buzzing little arena.

Once campaigns start, the club plans to do shorter, faster-paced stories that will allow casual goers to stop by without having gone to the previous meeting. While games usually span several sessions that build off of one another, they can be made shorter or even longer, some lasting years or even decades. With these quicker stories in mind, the club encourages members to come whenever possible, not providing a strict emphasis on attendance. 

No matter the difference in characteristics and abilities their characters hold, the connections between members is apparent. While the club’s main focus is gameplay, with their formation, they’ve created something much more meaningful.

“ What has surprised me the most, though, is not their memory of complex rules or commitment, it’s the leadership roles they’ve taken upon and the connections they have formed,” Librarian and D&D club sponsor Mrs. Fairchild said.

The group is about more than D&D; it’s about camaraderie. I listened as the club discussed their days and asked each other how they’ve been. They laughed over inside jokes and reminisced over previous get-togethers. What started as a conglomeration of people with a singular common interest has transformed into place for kids to take a break from reality and bond with one another.

“The world has slowly gotten less friendly, and I just love being in a place where, even if you don’t understand everyone, all are welcome with open arms,” Vallay said. 

To others, the club provides a place to be authentically themselves.

“We can nerd out with no judgement,” said Makai Salbilla.

As the group ended their time together and packed up, their energy carried well beyond the walls of the library, and they anticipated the next adventure they would share together. While the fantastical escapades they experience might change from week to week, the community they’re building is unmistakably real.