Why Dungeons & Dragons? If you’re visiting Dark Elf Dice, chances are you're a fan of the world's greatest tabletop role-playing game and can hazard a guess. Still, I think it’s important to explain the roots of our business, and why I started a company to supply amazing dice for gamers and collectors all across the globe. Maybe my story is like yours? If not, perhaps you can relate to it in some way.
Product Of Your Imagination…
I’ll never forget my first introduction to the world of Dungeons & Dragons. It was shortly after Christmas day, 1981, and like usual I was hanging out with my best friend. We spent the better part of the day ice skating on the frozen channel behind Mike's house and playing Combat and Missile Command on his Atari 2600. If Norman Rockwell were to illustrate a picture forever commemorating the idyllic day of a 12 year old from my generation, this was it. No school, no responsibilities, and nothing to do but have fun!
We had a few hours to kill before I had to go home for dinner, so Mike asked if I wanted to play a new game he got for Christmas. “Sure,” I said, thinking we were going to play Sorry or Monopoly. As we sat on his living room floor he brought out the Dungeons & Dragons basic set with the far-out cover illustration by Erol Otus (still my favorite D&D artist to this day). I was immediately drawn to the otherworldly colors and scene depicted on the box — the dragon rising from the depths of a subterranean river, the helmeted warrior leaning back with spear and shield, and the strangely alluring sorceress ready to hurl a green ball of flaming fire at the beast. This was definitely not Monopoly!
This Game Speaks To Me
Within moments of rolling up my first character, I was hooked. The strange dice, the heroic and mystical setting, the open world possibilities — Dungeons & Dragons completely and absolutely changed my concept of what a game was and should be. As a kid, I already had an active imagination fueled by the likes of Star Wars and Tolkien. D&D though seized my imagination in a memorable way. Sitting on that living room floor all those years ago, I came to the sudden realization that I wasn’t just hearing a story (like in a movie or book), I was the story. This was powerful and exhilarating. There was no radioactive spider from my childhood, but boy I was bitten.
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Growing Older
Dungeons & Dragons has seen many changes since that time. Its principle creator has passed away, and the small Wisconsin company that introduced my generation to the possibilities of role-playing is sadly no more. Still, others have answered the call and stepped forward. Dungeons & Dragons is in excellent hands with a group of writers and designers who care deeply for the game and an outstanding company that acknowledges the game’s history, yet has unique visions for its future. The D&D franchise is over 40 years old, and is still rolling natural 20s all day long!
Why Dungeons & Dragons?
To conclude, D&D is worth celebrating. Personally, it’s a game that helped define my childhood and helped nurture my imagination in ways I could never dream possible. Just as importantly though, it’s a game that helped introduce me to friends and fellow gamers throughout the years. The imaginative and social aspects of D&D are the source of its power for older players such as myself, and for 12 year olds from this generation cracking open a D&D Starter Set for the very first time.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it fellow travelers! Thanks for letting me share this special memory with you. I've had many careers, but running Dark Elf Dice with my family truly is a dream come true. I feel blessed, each and every day, and I'm grateful that I'm able to share my passion for gaming with you all. In the end, I want us all to have fun -- just like that 12 year old from 1981, wide-eyed and brimming with excitement at the possibilities of untold imagination and adventure. Until next time!
