Thinking Outside the D&D Box

Thinking Outside the D&D Box

The ground shook as it split in two. The growing chasm pried apart in a wicked grin splitting the group apart…making way for the Abomination resting beneath. Taldan the wizard stumbled, nearly falling to the ground as a large tendril rose from the split in the earth seeking purchase. Taldan’s eyes narrowed as he gripped his staff, his whitening knuckles betraying his growing anxiety.  ‘It cannot be allowed to rise,’ he thought, his mind racing as he came up with a plan.

He knew of a spell. A spell that would push back any foe regardless of size or strength…but there was a catch…In order to send it straight down into its abyss…Taldan had to be directly above it…right above that demonic chasm. He looked across the ever-growing gap to his friends and comrades….for them….for the world…he would do this!

Stepping back, he took a calming breath before sprinting towards the ledge and at the last possible moment, he leapt! As the wizard flew through the empty air my dice flew across the wooden table…*thunk*….*thunk*…*thunk*….Natural…One. As my heart sank, my wizard fell towards the demon rising from the pit. My Dungeon Master, the kind soul that he was, let me roll a saving throw to save Taldan, to allow me some level of mercy and save my character from certain death. My dice flew once again, my shaking hands betraying my fear…natural….one?! My d20 landed on the table with a sickening finality. Taldan, one of the mightiest wizards of the land, slammed into the demon, rolled off its side…and plummeted into Hell….

While my idea was a failure….it was a damn good failure.

Dungeons and Dragons is by far the most versatile RPG ever created, outdoing even modern day RPG’s played on the latest gaming consoles. If you can imagine it, you can do it. It’s that simple. In a game where anything can be created of destroyed, the options are bloody limitless.

The biggest obstacle for having fun and thinking outside the box in D&D is yourself. Yeap! That person riiiight there reading this incredibly well written article. BUT FEAR NOT DEAR READER for I, REDSHIRT, will help you find the promised land that is some crazy fun D&D campaigns…or at least some funny stories.

The Biggest Rule…. Don’t be afraid of failure!

When I first started playing Dungeons and Dragons I was wide eyed and afraid of making a mistake. I clutched my first set of dice nervously looking from experienced player to experienced player trying to cover my level one wizards character sheet with my hands.  It took many a campaign for me to come out of my shell and nervously ask if one of my crazy ideas would work.

Luckily he took pity on my poor soul and from that moment on the crazy ideas came a pouring in!

It was night and day for me. I went from a player nervous about “playing the right way” to actually seeing what the big deal was about this game! Suddenly the game took on an entirely different aspect for me: how can I out-think the DM’s plans?

Dear reader, there will come a time during your campaigns that you will be faced with a challenge. A challenge that will SEEM insurmountable…but never look at something at face value, especially in a game like Dungeons and Dragons. It will come to you like lightning striking a tree. The Solution. Capital “S.” It will solve everything…or it could blow up in your face. But the only way to find out is to trust yourself! Roll those dice! (See what I did there?)

The worst thing that can happen is you die horribly and doom the world!

Cover photo by https://www.artstation.com/artist/pindurski