Story by Lydia Fletcher

It’s a crowded Wednesday night at Gear Gaming Store. Tables and chairs have been pushed together to accommodate around 30 people. The bright fluorescents above illuminate a game map nine players are gathered around.

In hushed tones, the players attempt to agree on what to do next. Do they fight the enemy, retreat or try to persuade their way out of the upcoming fight?

“Roll for Initiative,” the dungeon master says after letting the players think for a moment.

Brightly colored die clatter on the table, as players let chance decide their order in the upcoming fight.

Since the game’s creation in 1974, Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) has been attracting players young and old. The combination of individualized storylines, roleplaying and leaving the odds up to the die guarantees no two games are ever the same.

Scott King, 64, said he first discovered D&D while serving in the Navy and has been playing ever since. He affectionately calls the game “Broke n’ Board,” since it’s relatively cheap to play. 

Although he took a break from playing during the COVID-19 pandemic, King said he always tries to find the local game store so that he can join a campaign. 

“It’s a social system,” said King. “We have fun, we laugh, we roll dice, that’s all it is.”

Peyton Short, 24, said he has been playing D&D since his teens and now runs the games as dungeon master (DM). He said he always pushes his players to go in-depth with their character creation and storytelling.

“You’re essentially working together with your friends to build a story,” said Short. “I as a DM may have the backbone of a story, but the guts and flesh will be what they decide to do.”

The popularity of the fantasy-based tabletop roleplaying game has ebbed and flowed since its creation, but a spike in media mentions created a sharp increase in interest.

 Shows like “Community,” “Gravity Falls,” and “Freaks & Geeks” have entire episodes based around it. 

 Yet, it would be remiss not to mention “Stranger Things” influence over the game’s popularity.

 The Netflix Original TV Show created by the Duffer brothers revolves around D&D. The creators said in a video interview on Netflix.com that “Stranger Things” is essentially a massive D&D campaign where the circumstances are taking over the characters’ actual lives.

 When Season 4 of “Stranger Things” was released, Google searches for “Dungeons and Dragons” increased 600%, according to Fansided.com.

The global increase in D&D players can even be felt on the local level, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jacob Jones, 32, one of the employees at Gear Gaming Store, said The Adventure League, a local D&D group, has been around since the store’s opening, but he’s noticed more people coming in asking about D&D.

 “D&D is for everyone. Everyone is welcome at our tables,” said Jones. “We want to have a place where an expert can sit down with someone who it’s their literal first game and they can still have fun.”