Once a week, sophomore Trace Glorioso and his friends meet to kill orcs, minotaurs and mercenaries; they cast spells and go on legendary searches for treasures they will never see.
Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a role-playing tabletop game in which players act as characters of their creation, working with each other on storylines written by their ‘Dungeon Master,’ the player charged with maintaining the reality of the game.
Although this group of students have been organizing D&D meetings since December 2017, the club TriniD&D now aims to become an official RSO. This isn’t your parents D&D, unless that’s what you’re looking for. The game has been influential in pop-culture and science fiction since its creation in 1974 and most recently served as a key plot point in the Netflix hit “Stranger Things.”
“I’d heard about Dungeons and Dragons, but when I played for the first time, I absolutely fell in love with it,” Glorioso said. “You have the board game and video game side, and then you have the improv side of D&D, and then you also have the creative writing side of it. It’s just the perfect game, in my opinion.”
Glorioso serves as secretary for the group and envisions that the club will serve as a central hub for students searching for role-playing and action-adventure games.
“The club is basically like having your own comic-book store in the middle of Trinity,” Glorioso said. “It’s a way to communicate with other people who have the same interests as you and who play the same style.”
Seniors Collin Gillespie and Marshall Tickner play D&D together every week with other Trinity students, but they hadn’t heard many details about the new club on campus.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on that club since I work in the Student Involvement office,” Gillespie said. “But I didn’t understand that they were this thing to connect people who play the game on campus. That’s really neat.”
Tickner agreed, adding that he, too, had been confused about the purpose of the club and might have benefitted from its organization if he’d known about it a few months ago.
“Our current group just got together just through word of mouth,” Tickner said. “I had run a campaign over the summer for some friends that were here, and when we needed other party members, [Gillespie] jumped in.”
Glorioso believes this misunderstanding of the club’s purpose is common and hopes many students interested in D&D will reach out.
“What I’d like to say to the newcomers is to feel free to email me,” Glorioso said. “That way we’ll be able to add them to the GroupMe.”
Despite TriniD&D’s seeming obscurity among students, the group’s membership has already surpassed his expectations with over 50 students involved at the time of publication.
“If you are into creative writing, if you are into acting, if you are into collaborative storytelling, or if you enjoy roleplaying games, this is the club for you,” Glorioso said. “[D&D] is some of the most fun you will have.”
Those interested in joining TriniD&D can contact the group for information on meeting times and how to join at [email protected]
