Some time ago I was given the opportunity to experience Dungeons & Dragons for the first time. My friend had bought a Starter Set, and together a campaign was put together by Jack, our first-time Dungeon Master.
I played as Eilaga Axeager, a Dwarvian child prodigy who had left her home in the mountains to seek treasures in the great lands beyond that would earn her glory among the Axeager Clan. Working her way to a knighthood, she was truly an accomplished fighter, set on inheriting her father’s throne. But as a woman, she had to prove to her family that she was a worthy competitor, smarter and stronger than all of her brothers.
When we arrived at Jack’s house, characters were prepped, and we were presented with two envelopes, sealed with wax, and each containing a one-shot scenario: Campaign A and Campaign B. We debated which to pick, and settled on Campaign B.
Inside, we found our starting point: a small town, with a shopkeeper who needed some help. We spent a little while in the town, figuring out the dynamics of our group, and trying our characters on for size. Then, we left in the direction of the mountains to begin our quest.
The journey was not an easy one, filled with much peril. Sometimes our morals were tested: in one town we passed through, we freed a man from being hung from the gallows. Once free, he summoned a powerful Hell Hound, and thanked us with a mad glint in his eye as his beast tore through the citizens of the town. Far too weak to tackle the monster, we left with a guilty conscience, and blood on our hands…
Of course, much laughter was had too. Whilst camping in the woods, our rogue, who nobody considered particularly strong, rolled a natural 20 whilst carrying a deer he had just slayed back into camp. It resulted in him throwing the deer towards the fire with a surge of adrenaline, the deer being skinned and diced by passing tree branches, before it landed perfectly on the fire, ready for dinner – truly a moment of DM magic!
Eilaga was fun to play, and I scored the most Inspiration points in the group by staying true to my character. For example, she was infuriated by anyone who belittled Dwarvian culture, often leading to her being held back by other characters when overhearing racist locals in a tavern, or ushered out of the bar once she’d had a few drinks!
I loved seeing my friends transform into their characters, and I had such an amazing time making memories whilst playing the game. My only criticism is that to truly get stuck into the narrative, and to make it worthwhile with everyone’s time, the session was around 5-6 hours long. Personally, that was a long time to stay in character and stay focused, so I would be interested to see how other groups break up their sessions to make them more manageable, especially for a fidgeter like me!
