Lumen Koller

ENG 110

Dr. Taylor

November 6th, 2023

Roll for Initiative

Every passing year brings a spate of new beginnings and endings. The end of a year

began what would become an integral part of my life. In November 2019, my best friend,

Evelyn, presented me with a proposition. She asked if I wanted to play in a Dungeons & Dragons

campaign she was hosting. Evelyn had brought up the tabletop roleplaying game a couple of

times in the previous year. While it seemed interesting in passing, being offered to participate

in the game itself was a lot more daunting.

Hesitantly I responded, “Eh… I don’t know if I’ll like it.”

“Oh come on, it’ll be fun! How about, you try it out and if you don’t like it, you won’t

have to play ever again,” Evelyn tried to convince me, shaking my arm.

“I guess I can give it a try, but I don’t even know where to begin. What if I mess

something up?” Doubt was already settling into my mind at that point.

We spent a couple of minutes going back and forth, eventually landing on a plan. The

goal would be to find a group of people we both knew, who were all beginners, and have them

join the potentially month-long tabletop game. In that sense I wouldn’t be alone in learning the

game, making the Dungeon Master (DM, host of the game) take it easier on us. Yet despite all

that, my stomach churned with uncertainty. While I decided I would go, there was absolutely

no guarantee I’d participate beyond that point.

contemplated the possible outcomes, the day finally came. I was first to arrive at the host’s

house at Noon, with everything I needed in hand. I had such a tight grip on my satchel, my

knuckles turned white. Despite being in a familiar environment, it seemingly became more

foreign with every new player that arrived. The wooden chairs and table were placed alongside

the chinaware lining the corners of the wall, framing the giant window behind the Dungeon

Master’s seat. The world outside never felt so small and pinpointed. Once all seven players had

settled down with their snacks and mobile devices, the DM clapped her hands, stating it was

time to get started. Session No. 1 would begin with my throat in my stomach.

Luckily, the first session would start off easy. All we had to do was make the characters,

yet we were still determining how to do that. There were a lot of questions being posed, and

the DM had to circle the table explaining to us how everything worked. We’d use a website

called DNDBeyond to give us a step-by-step process through all the mechanics that go into

making a character. Had there not been technological advancement, I would’ve been extremely

lost and stressed due to the amount of new information, and having to rewrite stats every time

we leveled up. I could only imagine how convoluted the Dungeons and Dragons handbook

must’ve been.

During the process of deciding our character's race, class, and attributes, we’d get to

create a backstory and personality for them. Previously, I’d dabbled in world and character-

building via writing and video games. I found a lot of joy in that and this process was no

different. With a big smile on my face, I was getting into my element, though a severity of

difference would dawn on me the moment the true elements of the game began.
 The Dungeon Master set the scene for us: a tavern in a bustling medieval town and our

task was to introduce our characters in accordance with their behavior. Pretending to be a

character in front of a whole group of people felt quite awkward. I’d stay quiet or stumble over

my words, unsure where to go. Writing my responses down might’ve helped flesh out my

responses, but this was very in the moment. I had to think off the top of my head what this

character would say. Yet, the more opportunities that were given, the more practice I’d get out

of it. It would become easier with time, especially as I understood how my friends are. Knowing

they were in the same boat as me yielded a sense of ease.

Time progressed as we all started getting to know the strange cast of characters. One of

them was named Goatsie, a Dragonborn (humanoid dragon). They had a “fight first, think later”

attitude typical of the barbarian class (aka fighting style). Another character was named Fallon,

a tiefling (demon) with a strong moral code similar to most paladins. My own character, Kahlo,

was a half-elf with a history of and taste for crime, very common for the rogue archetype. Each

new introduction was an insight into the many ways you could approach interacting with the

fictional world. This very notion would flood my head with brand-new ideas, setting off a fire of

excitement.

Hilarity would soon follow as Goatsie would attempt to steal a Keg off the back wall of

the tavern’s bar. The bartender tried to stop them, but it was too late. Then came the first roll

of the session. Goatsie had to roll a 20-sided die for a strength check. This was to see whether

or not the character could actually rip it out of the wall. If they met or rolled above a number

set by the DM, they would succeed in doing the task. There was also another mechanic meant

to help with ability checks (such as the strength check) called a “modifier”. More often than
not, the team would forget to add that number, resulting in interesting outcomes or a lot of

failures. Goatsie in this case managed to rip the keg halfway out of the wall, a fountain of beer

spewing out of the pipe once connected to the barrel. That was all because they hit the number

on the dot.

Not too long before this instance, the DM had mentioned to ability to do anything

within reason of the character's abilities. This team was really going to push that boundary, but

of course, the DM would know when to put her foot down. The tavern scene would continue on

until an incentive to go on a quest was offered by another patron of the bar. The task was to

find a missing group of soldiers and to bring back evidence if they had died. Our ragtag group of

adventurers all agreed on the terms of splitting the monetary reward evenly. Thus began their

journey of misadventures.

The team would scour the city for any last-minute shopping and try to find a mode of

transport. With the little money the party had, no one was buying anything, or at least that's

how it seemed. One party member by the name of Kyra managed to secure a carriage and a

coachman for travels, by means unknown to the rest of the party. After one night the team

would set off first thing in the morning.

The road was a long and bumpy ride, with many complaints coming from our

adventurers. However, this nonchalant attitude wouldn’t last longer than a couple of hours in

the game. There was a bloodied body on the road up ahead causing the coachman to stop. The

team debated whether to keep going or to investigate. The eerie atmosphere of the scene

thrust on them was a sure sign to check the surroundings. My character Kahlo was chosen to

inspect the odd scene because surely the rogue could sneak and be sure to not alert anything. I
rolled. . . Kahlo would crouch and walk up the dirt path, noticing arrows stuck in the ground and

in the corpse. She’d turn towards the party trying to communicate what she’d seen before

going towards the shrubbery on the sides of the road. Upon checking those bushes, an arrow

shot past Kahlo’s face. Adrenaline would pump through the entire party as a pack of goblins

would reveal their location and intention to attack.

Our DM spoke up once more, “Roll for Initiative,” marking the true first encounter of

combat.

The party was sent into a flurry of options and decisions, having to put what we knew to

the test. Even if at a loss as to what would be the best course of action, the DM wouldn’t leave

us hanging. With subtle guidance, we’d know the core mechanics of basic combat. The initiative

was to determine the order in which characters and enemies went. Rolling a 20-sided dice

would also determine if we hit our target; the goblins in this case had an armor class of 15.

Depending on the weapon or spell used to attack, a modifier gets added to your total, making

the chances of hitting grow higher. Then, if we managed to hit, we’d roll another set of dice to

determine the amount of damage the enemy had taken.

The sudden surge of battle and clanks of dice pounded in my head. Every action had to

be made in about six seconds– or at least that’s what the DM told us initially. In reality, a bunch

of beginners would have no way of succeeding in that. She was kind enough to allow us to take

some time once she realized we weren’t versed enough in our actions. However, that didn’t

stop the intensity of the “heat of the moment”. The party struggled for a while to grasp the

situation, half of whom were still by the carriage and not by the goblins.
 Eventually came what would be a monumental moment of the first session. Another

party member’s turn came about. The edges of my skin and the tips of my fingers buzzed with

adrenaline. Down came the dice, clattering against the table as it rolled to its final face upward.

A natural 20, truly a sight to behold. The highest number one can roll on the dice also contains

a special attribute. A natural 20 meant a critical hit, aka double damage. The party erupted into

congratulations once the DM reminded us of its meaning. The united support of a team even

outside the fictional world meant a lot, it felt like another family. Another home to look forward

to. The battle would come to an end shortly after. Glancing out the window once more, maybe

the world is vast and scary but having people to challenge it with feels a lot less difficult.

“Welp, time to wrap up for the day. I hope you guys enjoyed playing,” Evelyn

announced at the end of the session.

There was chatter when we cleaned up, alongside a resounding “yes” to Evelyn’s

comment. Excitement is often confused with nervousness, as the body feels the same. Yet,

even with my anxieties, I couldn’t deny my enjoyment throughout. Especially being among my

friends for an extended period of time. Packing up left me with a longing, wishing to see more

of the story, the developments, and the chaos. Before I even walked out the door to say my

goodbyes, I had my answer.

“You good same time next week?” Evelyn halted me.

I stopped in my tracks on the cement pathway to turn around, “Of course.”