Dungeons and Dragons: Chaotic Storytelling at its Finest

You might be wondering: What does Dungeons and Dragons have to do with storytelling? The answer is: a lot!!

For those who may not know what DnD is, here's a little run down: it is known as a Table Top Role Playing Game. People create characters (and there are many choices) and a Dungeon Master (or DM) guides them through either an official campaign (story, if you will), or a made up one (aka a homebrew). The size of the group varies quite a bit (I've played in ones as small as four, not including the DM, or as large as six). Each player has a say in what the group does, and dice rolls often determine the success of their actions.

A D20, picture by Leah Levert

What do I mean by “dice rolls?” In DnD, you play with 7 dice. The most important of which is the D20. This one is used for what is called “skilled checks”, which can mean anything from: “Do you hit this monster?” to “Can you successfully sing a song to distract the guards while the rogue steals the keys?”. So, when you leave the success of each task up to chance, it allows for spontaneity that’s hard to come up with in traditional storytelling.

Even though this is far from the only method of co-operative storytelling, I'd argue that Dungeons and Dragons offers an unpredictability that makes it extra fun and exciting. In your head, you come up with a brilliant plan that will make your character seem cool, suave, and capable, but then you fail your dice roll and instead your character will fall flat on their face in a pile of poo.

When your character is too focused on a forcefield to see what’s past it. (Art by Leah Levert)

What adds to the dynamic of gameplay is how each player interacts with each other. As one of my Dungeon Master’s said: “it’s a group of leading characters.” Which means that everyone is acting out their own story at the same time as everyone else. With the right group of people, it’s not actually competing for the limelight, but it does mean that your actions might end up interrupting someone’s plan.

 For example, during a recent session our party had come across a camp of goblins and hobgoblins. The rest of the party wanted to stealthily sneak up to the camp so we could scout it out and see what kinds of enemies we were dealing with. However, one member of our group was unfortunately suffering from paranoia and didn’t trust the rest of us. Running ahead, she alerted a large worg. My character, seeing that her friend was in danger, rushed forward and unleashed a large, loud, spell called Shatter… which then alerted the entire camp of our presence.

It led to a very exciting and highly entertaining battle scene. Being able to constantly bounce off of other people in an improvised way really keeps the creativity alive and makes for very exciting storytelling. Even if the Dungeon Master has a thought out and carefully crafted narrative for the players to go through, it is very easy for both the players and the dice to completely throw it out the window. It keeps you on your toes and it forces you, as a storyteller, to be flexible and willing to change your ideas to adapt to what the dice and players are dictating the story to be.

Many authors have written stories based off of their D&D adventures. It is a game that excites imaginations and offers a dynamic method of storytelling that is both fun and exciting. If you ever have the chance to join a game, I highly recommend you do so.

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Leah Levert

Leah is currently studying Professional Writing. She loves to write and hopes to be able to use her skills to make the world a little easier to understand. When not studying, she can be found at the stable with her horses, or playing video games.

Fantasy Settings: Why Do They Matter?

A Map of Middle Earth

We’ve taken a look at weapons. We’ve taken a look at magic. Now, let’s dive into what is arguably the most important aspect of a story: Setting.

           The beautiful thing about fantasy is that you can do as much or as little world-building as you desire. There are some, like J.R.R. Tolkien, who spent years crafting and building their worlds. Then there are others, like Rick Riordan, that spent more time crafting the lore and mythology that goes behind a story.

            But why do authors spend hours, if not years developing all this detail? In Tolkien’s case, especially, not everything is actually shown in the story. Being able to create a living, breathing story where readers can get sucked into and lost for hours requires attention to detail. Even if the reader is only shown 1/10th of the world, an author needs to know it, so that they can keep the story well-grounded.

A night scene from Avatar.

            What do I mean by well-grounded? Well, while you may never set foot in the world your story is set in, the characters that you write about live there. They have knowledge about the borders between their kingdoms, or countries. They also have the knowledge of how magic works, or how many gods govern the world. For them to feel like living, real beings with their own set of beliefs and morals, their world needs to have the little details that will provide the fuel for the characters’ biases to form.

            Basically, it’s important to create a world that can live independently of whatever story you write. At least, that’s how I feel, when it comes to fantasy. I like the idea of creating an anthology of stories that follow a world as it evolves, where you can plop yourself at any point in the world, and be able to write a story. Going from a lonely fisherman to the mightiest queen, audiences should still be able to find wonder and magic.

            Now, the beauty of creative writing is that you can spend as much or as little time fleshing out your world as you so choose. This is why I chose the two authors I did. On one hand, the J.R.R Tolkien spent a staggering amount of time fully exploring and expanding all the nooks and crannies of Middle Earth. He wrote several languages, wrote songs, went deep into the history and mythology of Middle Earth, and has left us with a rich, detailed world that quite a few people long to live in.

From the follow up series to Percy Jackson and the Olympians

            On the other end of the spectrum, we have Rick Riordan. Now, one thing these two authors have in common is that they were heavily inspired by mythology, though they chose different methods of how to apply it. Rick Riordan may not have crafted a completely brand-new world, or even a brand-new mythology based on his passions. But what he did do, was give us a fresh, fun, modern twist on the classic myths. Percy Jackson and the Olympians is among my favourite series. Rick Riordan sets the Greek gods and goddesses in modern times, and delved into how their continued influence would shape the modern world. The heroes in his books are all modern demigods, trying to survive going to school while also being attacked by monsters. Though his world building isn’t as extensive as Tolkien’s, it’s no less rich in its simplicity.

            But what makes both of their worlds so fun, is that they’ve created something that makes me want to dive in and never leave. I know I could wander in their worlds and never get bored. But most importantly, the solid foundations of their settings, made it easy for me to imagine their stories taking shape. So, I urge you, my fellow writers, to love the worlds your stories are set in.

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Leah Levert

Leah is currently studying Professional Writing. She loves to write and hopes to be able to use her skills to make the world a little easier to understand. When not studying, she can be found at the stable with her horses, or playing video games.

Weapons and Story

Fantasy worlds are filled with adventure. Heroes go on epic journeys to defeat a villain, save a kingdom, or destroy a ring. They cross worlds filled with dangerous creatures and hostile foes and therefore have a need to defend themselves. Weapons can just be a means for a character to protect themselves, provide an avenue for exposition, or even be a pivotal point in a character’s journey. No matter how an author chooses to use weaponry in their stories, they add to the world and, therefore, are worthy of careful consideration. 

If you look at human history, you can see that weapons have changed and evolved throughout time. Different cultures came up with different types of weapons. The Knights of Europe wore heavy armour, and so broadswords, with blunt edges were forged for bludgeoning and stabbing. Unlike the sharp blades of the middle east, where hot deserts prevented their warriors from wearing layers and layers of metal armour. Therefore, what type of weapons each race has within a fictional world can help expand their culture. We can see this type of variety in the Lord of the Rings. Elves have sleek, elegant blades that have been carefully honed by master craftsmen over centuries, while the orcs have crude, misshapen weapons that were made in a hurry. It is a subtle detail that can help flesh out a fantasy world and give the readers another piece to help visualize the world in their minds. 

Aragon, from the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, unsheathing Anduril.

For characters, their choice of weapon can be profound. It can be a pivotal shift in their story’s arc and help solidify their growth or descent. A lot of fantasy weapons have deep histories behind them and therefore come with a heavy burden. Take Anduril, the Flame of the West, from the Lord of the Rings. Aragorn is introduced as a Ranger from the north. A mysterious figure without much knowledge of who he is or where he’s been. But it is then revealed that he is actually descended from Isildur. Isildur was the king of men who, unfortunately, succumbed to the lure of the One Ring, forged by Sauron, and did not destroy it. This act of his ancestors haunted Aragorn, and for most of his life, he denied the throne that was rightfully his. But when the reforged blade of Anduril, which had been wielded by Isildur himself, is presented to him is a crucial moment where he’s chosen to accept his fate and be the rightful king that he was born to be. Anduril, in this case, is a tool to propel a single character’s arc forward and bring it to a satisfying conclusion. 

Instead of merely glossing over the weapons that characters use in the stories you write, think about how they can enhance the world your characters live in. How they can add history and dimension to their world, as well as to their stories. They can be a visual representation of a character’s arc, and well, they look pretty cool. 

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Leah Levert

Leah is currently studying Professional Writing. She loves to write and hopes to be able to use her skills to make the world a little easier to understand. When not studying, she can be found at the stable with her horses, or playing video games.