Be your side of the cultural coin that it may, you will have certainly heard the phrases; critical hit, natural one, and D20 in the last three years… Unless of course you’ve been living in some off world colony, where the only entertainment is watching two algae crop undertake a three month race to produce a soil enzyme.

Like it or not, Role Playing games are back! And there really isn’t anything those geek haters can do about it.

“..There were two undeniable truths in the Realms: It was very easy to overestimate a drow and even easier to underestimate a dwarf.”― R.A. Salvatore, Maestro

When exactly Dungeons and Dragons resurfaced to popular culture is a tricky one to figure out. How Critical role; the Youtube sensation, where a bunch of the most un-nerdy looking people get together, most likely get high and roll dice while putting on silly voices, started clocking over a million viewers to their stream happened almost overnight,– is yet to be understood or studied… That is until now.

“The secret we should never let the Dungeon Masters know is that they don't need any rules.”
― Gary Gygax

Everyone who has seen Stranger Things will know D&D… Them kids play the game practically every three episodes. And their love for it has certainly spiked up some hairs in those creative types among us. But what is interesting is that the game itself, though the enjoyment being largely dependent on a players imagination, is also beginning to appeal to those who are not creative, who have never played board games and are simply not interested in fantasy, comic books or even how majestic a set of seven multi-coloured marbled dice can look in a certain light.

“You are not entering this world in the usual manner, for you are setting forth to be a Dungeon Master. Certainly there are stout fighters, mighty magic-users, wily thieves, and courageous clerics who will make their mark in the magical lands of D&D adventure. You however, are above even the greatest of these, for as DM you are to become the Shaper of the Cosmos. It is you who will give form and content to the all the universe. You will breathe life into the stillness, giving meaning and purpose to all the actions which are to follow.”
― Gary Gygax

Team building is tough for many businesses, getting everyone together from different departments can be a challenge as can deciding what will get the most out of them; using both their skills and their knowledge.

At Rolldark, we are finding more and more companies, corporate and start-ups, are hiring our Dungeon Masters to run tailored games to help bring these skills to surface. It is really quite something when you watch Brenda from finance crack a mathematical puzzle that would to anyone else, look like a simple group of numbers above a door. Or, even Steve from strategy figuring out the trajectory of the Black Dragon; how and why it flies south based on the time of day and weather.

Dungeons and dragons is perfect for bringing people together, be them; friends’, colleagues and even strangers from completely different walks of life. The game has something for everyone and that alone in an age of screen addiction, is why it is so important to get everyone sat around a table and putting on silly voices.