Haines is overrun with ogres and dragons, magic spells, inhuman creatures and epic battles as part of a budding community of Dungeons & Dragons players.
Dungeons & Dragons, a role-playing game created in 1974 that gained popularity in the 1980s, allows players to become a character and embark on imaginary adventures in a fantasy setting.
At least three groups of about five to 10 people each in Haines meet regularly for games, from once a month to several times a week.
Riyan Stossel serves as a dungeon master in two Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. A dungeon master is typically the storyteller and leads the characters, who often play as a team, to engage with each other. The dungeon master prepares rules and guidelines, but the group’s path is determined by communal storytelling and improvisation.
“I really enjoy DMing because it’s fun to see people’s expressions when something happens that they’re not expecting,” Stossel said.
Players, through their own choices, work together to solve dilemmas, engage in battles, and gather treasure and knowledge. Stossel said he has players write their own character’s backstory, which he intertwines in the ongoing storyline.
“Their backstory is my oyster,” he said. “If I do it correctly, it should be an emotional and heart-wrenching journey.”
Campaigns can last anywhere from a few hours to a few years, and can take dungeon masters about the same amount of time to prepare.
“It always depends on the campaign and the players, but the right story is going to take as long as it takes,” said dungeon master and Haines High School junior Dominic Stossel. Improvisation comes in when the group chooses a direction that the dungeon master didn’t plan.
Logan Holtan, who works at Howser’s IGA and plays in a group with other employees, said he started playing in sixth grade when he learned from his dad. He got really into the game in high school. “It’s a game that has no limits. You make your own story,” Holtan said.
Sebastian Price said he started playing when he moved to Haines. Working at the grocery store, he said D&D has served as a conversation-starter and something he has used to relate to costumers in the check-out line. “There’s a lot of people who know about it, you’d be surprised,” Price said.
Aly Zeiger said she likes to play because it’s an activity that doesn’t involve computers or game controllers. “These are people in their 20s ignoring their phones. It’s incredible,” Zeiger said.
Mathias Gilmore said he also started playing D&D when he got to Haines last fall, and now plays two times a week. He’s made his closest friends here through the game.
“You get to know people’s strengths, personalities and humor through their characters,” he said.
Riyan Stossel said people also use D&D as an escape, where they can create characters similar or vastly different from their own personalities
“If you don’t like who you are, you can change that in D&D. If you feel powerless in your world, you can create a super-powerful version of yourself,” Stossel said. “A lot of people use television as an escape, but I think D&D is healthier than television, you’re using your brain the whole time.”
Gilmore said he’s currently playing a character named Bigsby, who is an inhuman construct made of paper. It’s an idea he’s had for a long time.
“A construct gives you advantages over other character types, but at the same time he’s flammable like the scarecrow in Wizard of Oz,” Gilmore said.
Common characters in the D&D world are dwarfs, elves, gnomes, goblins, orcs, humans, halflings and others. Classes are similar to professions, which include bards, barbarians, clerics, fighters, druids, monks, warlocks, wizards, sorcerers and more.
Zeiger said a good storyline has her constantly thinking about character developments.
“Hours of fun don’t stop when the game is over for the night. Part of your mind is living in that campaign if it’s well done,” she said. “You wake up in the middle in the night and text one of your buddies, ‘I had a great idea for my character!'” she said.
To learn about characters and the game, more involved players have copies of hardcover textbooks that tell you everything you need to know about weapons, spells, creatures and more. Games can include a board with miniature figures to help players visualize the fantasy world. All players need multiple dice, including four-sided, six-sided, eight-sided, 10-sided, 12-sided and 20-sided dice. Players may also need information about their character and its abilities to reference during the game.
The Stossel brothers haul a box full of the equipment to every game, including ample drinks and snacks for their hours-long games.
Dungeons & Dragons is often stereotyped as a game that nerds play in their basements, but it has become useful for more than just playing make-believe.
According to the BBC, Dungeons & Dragons has been used successfully as therapy. “The kids immerse themselves in their character, and interact with each other in character. The idea is that, within these fictional adventures, they can practice using the social skills they struggle with,” the article said.
Dungeons & Dragons and other role-playing games can help with child development by inspiring creativity and cooperation, mathematics, literacy and problem-solving, according to a 2017 Canadian news report.
Dominic Stossel said writing campaigns as a dungeon master, and also playing the game, has immensely improved his creative-writing skills.
“I’m writing stories and other people are critiquing them,” he said. “I’m learning what makes a good story and what doesn’t.”
Despite its benefits, D&D hasn’t risen to popularity without challenges. The game has received negative publicity from some religious groups for alleged devil worship and witchcraft, which has caused backlash for some avid players.
But in recent years, D&D has become increasingly accepted in pop culture. There are references in the hit Netflix show “Stranger Things” released in 2016, and dozens of other movies and shows since the 1980s. In the world of online gaming, podcasts and live streams where people can watch campaigns or get advice from other dungeon masters or players garner millions of views.
The game offers an escape to a different world, the Haines players said, while bolstering their creative skills and strengthening friendships in reality.