Storytelling in Dungeons & Dragons

I’m a bit of a collector when it comes to storytelling forms. I want to know all of the structures, all of the mediums, all of the formal languages. It’s why I flit back and forth between comics, games, novels, film, TV, theatre and so on.

Just over a year ago I experienced tabletop roleplaying for the first time, joining some friends in their long-running Dungeons & Dragons escapade. I didn’t know what to expect. I’d been a reader of fantasy for decades, and I’d played many roleplaying video games, but I’d never had an opportunity to try out the live, collaborative storytelling that is D&D.

I knew there would be rules and dice rolling and numbers and combat scenarios. That’s the bit everyone knows about, from Stranger Things or from earlier, more mocking depictions of the game. What I hadn’t expected was the depth of story and character that’s built into the experience, and the complexity of the conversation between the dungeon master (the host/storyteller/referee/etc role) and the players.

At its best, when you have a master DM running the game, Dungeons & Dragons is oral storytelling at its most sophisticated. It’s telling tales around a fire, developed to its ultimate form. It’s improv theatre. It’s pure creative discovery, with the DM and players combining their imaginations in unpredictable and thrilling ways.

It’s a lot more than rolling dice and punching orcs.

A sketch I made of my character.

I had to know more about how it works, and how on earth a DM holds it all together. The man who runs the game I’m part of is one Jon Kempton. Jon is a teacher of history, politics and English and is Director of External Relations at Langley School here in Norwich, UK.

Due to a complicated series of events, my interview with Jon was recorded in the presence of his dog Indie. Needless to say, Indie had opinions on what was being discussed. I suggest making a game of noting how many times you can detect background snuffling, a tail whacking the microphone or a canine toy being squeaked.

Hope you enjoy the chat! A transcript is also available.