WORTHINGTON — With a Dungeons & Dragons movie set to hit theaters on March 30, and the ongoing popularity of web series like Critical Role, it might be just the right time for the Nobles County Library’s new RPG Club.
The group meets at 5:15 p.m. Mondays at the library’s Worthington branch to play “Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game,” a tabletop roleplaying game similar to D&D, but simplified to be easier for beginners to pick up and play — without the math-heavy character-building process of some other RPGs.
While games can vary, most tabletop games feature a central storyteller who sets up a setting and plot, and players, who portray characters who participate in the story, as if it were a book or a movie.
“The whole point of a roleplaying game is (that) you’re imagining yourself as an adventurer,” said David Hardy, who is hosting the library’s RPG Club.
Hardy has been serving as a storyteller or game master for a couple of years with his own group.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I wanted to play more and get into it,” Hardy said.
Knowing that many libraries across the country have started their own RPG groups, he asked about it, and later, he was approached to see if he had any interest in getting the process started for the Nobles County Library.
Because “Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game” is beginner-friendly, it only takes about five minutes to make a character, and yet the system is still flexible enough to allow a player to shape the character in a variety of ways, Hardy said. A person could play a samurai, a mercenary or a knight-errant equally easily.
“It’s your imagination. You decide. What do you think of your character? That’s for you to decide,” Hardy said.
Players also need not be intimidated by the dice.
“I tell them: You tell me what you want your character to do, and I tell you what happens,” Hardy said. “It’s a very easy game to play.”
In order to keep the games newcomer-friendly, Hardy intends to make them episodic, so that each adventure starts and ends in a single session. That way, people can try it out without having to commit to a months-long or years-long campaign, which can be difficult to schedule.
And dice and character sheets will be available, so prospective players needn’t bring anything, either.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I’m always open for new players,” Hardy said.
The group is open to anyone age 16 or older. If Mondays don’t work, it may be possible to schedule a different time.
For more information or to register, call (507) 295-5340.
The Trust Project
