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https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/10/dungeons-and-dragons-at-50-the-collaborative-fantasy-roleplaying-game-that-builds-you-up>
"Brock the barbarian is a 2-metre (6ft 6in) tall loveable gruff. “He’s an
idiot, but he wants to do well,” explains 25-year-old Zach Anderson, who is
12cm (5in) shorter than Brock. “He’s very extroverted and I’m very
introverted.”
Via Brock, Anderson has broken out of his shy nature to go on all manner of
adventures. Once, he slew a dragon.
Brock is not real, of course. He is a character Anderson – who lives in Sydney
– made up six months ago to roleplay in the tabletop game
Dungeons & Dragons.
“It’s been a way to think … if I could be this character, how would I act? And
by doing that, it’s weird, I’ve noticed I’m a lot more outgoing than I used to
be. I’m a lot more confident.”
Dungeons & Dragons – affectionately known as
D&D – is celebrating its 50th
anniversary in 2024. Dragged through the mud in the 1980s, when critics argued
it was a gateway to devil worshipping and the media connected it to murders and
suicides, the game has surged back into popularity and popular culture in
recent years.
Its appeal is perhaps best captured by one of its creators, Gary Gygax, who
once said: “All of us at times feel a little inadequate at dealing with the
modern world – it would feel much better if we knew we were a superhero or a
mighty wizard.”"
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
