Dungeons & Dragons is perhaps the world's best known and much loved roleplaying game. A mainstay on the tabletop for 50 years, the game has always been popular but arguably shows like Stranger Things and YouTube channels like Critical Role have brought the game to a whole new audience. But what exactly is a roleplaying game?

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DUNGEONS & DRAGONS AND ROLEPLAYING

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The easiest answer is to think of books like Lord of the Rings and TV shows like A Game of Thrones, The Wheel of Time and The Witcher. A fellowship of different people coming together in a fantastical, often pseudo-medieval world filled with wondrous creatures and exotic races, to fight a mighty evil that threatens the land. Except rather than reading the books or watching the movies, YOU get to be those people. You are the heroes and adventurers seeking to right wrongs, combat evil, maybe even find a little fame and fortune? YOU get to make the choices and those choices will have an impact on the game for better or worse. As you build your character you will be asked to choose a race (Elf, Dwarf, Human, etc.) and a class (Fighter, Wizard, Rogue, etc.) and then you are encouraged to 'act' as your character might do so. Additionally some people enjoy creating a voice for their character, getting into the accents and nuances of speech patterns, but you don't have to be an amateur actor to play and voice acting isn't a requisite for D&D, as long as you are having fun and exploring the world through the eyes and ears of your character.

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So you've got your character, now what? Your character will join others around the table on a campaign, a series of interlinked sessions, which is the usual way to play Dungeons & Dragons. Over the course of the campaign, your character and their friends (we'll just use party from here on) will undertake missions and quests. The party will work together to solve puzzles, overcome obstacles and deal with confrontations. The will usually be working towards an end goal such as toppling a despotic king, preventing an undead lich from returning or fighting a dragon that is terrorising the kingdom. Campaigns can run from a few months to several years. But it is not the only way to play D&D. You may also be involved in what is known as a 'one-shot'. This is normally a self-contained adventure that will take 3-6 hours to complete and will be played in one session. But your party isn't alone in this journey. You will be accompanied and guided by the Dungeon Master....

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The Dungeon Master (or Games Master as they are commonly called) runs the game and will represent the NPCs (non-player characters) and monsters, describe locations to you, give you quests, and essentially guide you through whatever fantastical world you may be adventuring in. They act as a rules arbiter, story teller, roleplayer and, occasionally character killer (it is a dangerous world out there after all)! But they will also ask you to roll dice....

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What are you rolling dice for? Well, it depends on what you want to do. Jump from one rooftop to another? Roll a d20 and let's see how acrobatic you are. Want to hit the Goblin? Roll a d20 and see if your sword is sharp enough. Want to get past the guard with a bribe? Roll a d20 and see if you can persuade them. These are skills and attributes that help to define your character and what they are good, and bad, at. A wizard has to be intelligent enough to cast their spells so they likely aren't very strong. Likewise the barbarian has to be strong and tough but probably isn't concerned with books and words and a rogue wants to be dextrous, attacking and slipping away unnoticed but maybe not so hardy and tough. Characters strengths and flaws help to shape them into interesting people and not just one-dimensional superheroes.

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Hey Adam, you kept mentioning a d20. What is that? A d20 is a 20-sided dice and it will be the dice you roll the most in a game of Dungeons & Dragons. Anytime the Dungeon Master asks you for an attack roll, a skill check, a saving throw or calls for initiative, you will roll a d20, maybe add an appropriate ability or skill and give them the result. Occasionally, most often during combat, you will be asked to roll additional dice, usually for damage and that is where the other dice in your dice bag come into play; d4, d6, d8, d10. d%, d12. Aside from your character sheet, which you can download for free here or get one from the shop when beginning your campaign, you will need a set of these dice, known as polyhedral dice.

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Now you know a little bit more all that is left is to find somewhere to play and sign up to a few sessions....

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DUNGEONS & DRAGONS SESSIONS

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DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is a very popular game here at the shop. We have many campaigns running throughout the week and more and more people looking to join in, often for the very first time! Here you can find a list of D&D sessions that are available to book at the shop. This list will be updated every month so keep an eye out. This will be a mix of campaigns, mini-campaigns (running about 4-6 weeks), one-shots and beginner sessions. Beginner games will be appropriately highlighted for those looking to get into their first game. To book your seat, head over to our 'Book Online' page to pay and reserve your space.

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MARCH 2026​​

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• 8th March: HEROES OF THE BORDERLANDS

  • BEGINNER SESSION​

  • 4 spaces​

  • 12pm-4pm

  • £4pp entry (NEW PLAYER OFFER: £10pp including set of Tabletop Dominion acrylic dice)

  • Your first foray into the world of D&D. We will provide pre-generated characters as well as an introduction into the basics of the game before diving into your first adventure. Dice will be provided though you can buy dice in the shop if you would prefer your own personal set.

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• 15th March: HEROES OF THE BORDERLANDS

  • BEGINNER SESSION​

  • 4 spaces​

  • 12pm-4pm

  • £4pp entry (NEW PLAYER OFFER: £10pp including set of Tabletop Dominion acrylic dice)

  • Your first foray into the world of D&D. We will provide pre-generated characters as well as an introduction into the basics of the game before diving into your first adventure. Dice will be provided though you can buy dice in the shop if you would prefer your own personal set.​​

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APRIL 2026

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• 5th April: ONE SHOT WONDERS

  • BEGINNER SESSION​

  • 4 spaces​

  • 12pm-4pm

  • £4pp entry (NEW PLAYER OFFER: £10pp including set of Tabletop Dominion acrylic dice)

  • Your first foray into the world of D&D. We will provide pre-generated characters as well as an introduction into the basics of the game before diving into your first adventure. Dice will be provided though you can buy dice in the shop if you would prefer your own personal set.

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• 12th April: ONE SHOT WONDERS

  • BEGINNER SESSION​

  • 4 spaces​

  • 12pm-4pm

  • £4pp entry (NEW PLAYER OFFER: £10pp including set of Tabletop Dominion acrylic dice)

  • Your first foray into the world of D&D. We will provide pre-generated characters as well as an introduction into the basics of the game before diving into your first adventure. Dice will be provided though you can buy dice in the shop if you would prefer your own personal set.

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• 19th April: ONE SHOT WONDERS

  • BEGINNER SESSION​

  • 4 spaces​

  • 12pm-4pm

  • £4pp entry (NEW PLAYER OFFER: £10pp including set of Tabletop Dominion acrylic dice)

  • Your first foray into the world of D&D. We will provide pre-generated characters as well as an introduction into the basics of the game before diving into your first adventure. Dice will be provided though you can buy dice in the shop if you would prefer your own personal set.​

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MAY 2026

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