by Antoinette

To me, there is nothing more fun than rolling dice and telling a story.

Dungeons & Dragons is much more than just rolling dice and defeating dragons. It’s about using your critical thinking, teamwork, math, and problem-solving skills. It even helps you work out any issues you may have had going on during day or just forget the outside world for a bit. Dungeons & Dragons is as immersive as you make it out to be and can be a healthy escape and great social activity.

Digital Access for me started well before the pandemic. I moved to Florida in January 2020, and many of my home campaigns moved to the digital platform. The fun part was trying to figure out what platform would work best and what resources I needed to have. This gave me experience — along with my three years of Dungeon-Mastering — to tackle the idea of having our own Dungeons & Dragons game here at the Mandel Public Library. 

We got access from Wizards of the Coast through their COVID response plan and after that, we purchased the needed materials from DNDBeyond to run a successful campaign and share the free resources with everyone who wanted to join. Zoom has been an easily-added resource providing audio and video to bring us that “around the table together” feel. The Pirates of Palm Beach, our first Dungeons & Dragons campaign, has already bonded greatly in their adventure.

Due to the success of Pirates of Palm Beach, we decided to have a second campaign adventure to help bring in more people from the community to this magical world: a world where you can be a magical or stronger version of yourself, or someone you need to be. Adventures in Waterdeep was born, and we’re excited to have that started!

If you're interested in joining or even creating a campaign of your own, here are resources and programs to get you started:

Pirates of Palm Beach

Pirates of Palm Beach was our test pilot program for our first Dungeons & Dragons game on the digital platform. Six to eight players head off on the high seas of Saltmarsh and work for Captain Scarlesta to fulfill guild missions but also to discover who they really were meant to be and where their futures drive them. These pirates have been doing amazingly and are about to hit Level Three!

Adventures in Waterdeep

This Dungeons & Dragons game started in January 2021. It will be played on the third Wednesday of every month from 7:00-9:00 PM. Players who are interested will be joining the team of treasure hunters and adventure seekers who have traveled to Waterdeep. They have been promised a treasure beyond their wildest dreams and magical items that could turn anyone powerful. These treasure seekers will start off by making their character sheet together with the Dungeon Master at Level One. Many options to create fun characters are available, and adventure awaits!

Library Resources

Want to start your own campaign? We have the materials here that you can check out to get running your own game or materials for you to make your own character.

Sourcebooks

• Dungeons & Dragons: Player’s Handbook
• Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
• Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
• Volo’s Guide to Monsters
• Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
• Monster Manual

Adventure Books

• Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
• Waterdeep. Dragon Heist
• Tomb of Annihilation
• Curse of Strahd
• Strom King’s Thunder
• Out of the Abyss: Rage of Demons
• Hoard of the Dragon Queen: Tyranny of Dragons
• The Rise of Tiamat

May the rolls ever be in your favor if you are playing, and if you are interested in Adventures in Waterdeep, email me at agiamalva@mycitylibrary.org.