There are over 600 clubs and organizations to join at MU, and the newest one to the list is the MU Recreational Dungeons and Dragons Association. Players create a character, play through stories and enjoy time spent with friends. Dungeons & Dragons is unique every time it’s played.
According to the [Dungeons & Dragons website](http://dnd.wizards.com/dungeons-and-dragons/what-is-dd), it is a fantasy role-playing game where the characters voyage through a story written by the Dungeon Master, another player. The game focuses on the art of storytelling, where characters duel with others, rescue teammates and find treasures, which allows for a lot of variety.
The students behind MURDDA met at the university’s summer transition program last year. President Patrick Lee and vice president Zacharie Hoskin bonded over the game in their small group at the program. Once they started the fall semester, they found there wasn’t a club on campus that fit their Dungeons & Dragons needs, so they started their own.
“We had to go through several meetings,” Lee said. “First, we needed to get 10 people who were interested in our club.”
With interest from their summer transition program group and students in residence halls, getting the required 10 people was easy for Lee and Hoskin.
MURDDA is a club for players with all levels of experience with the game. Meetings are spent teaching players about the game, setting up groups to play together — called gaming parties — and breaking the introvert stereotype associated with players.
“It’s a great opportunity to learn more about yourself and meet new people,” Hoskin said.
The club’s first meeting, held in Strickland Hall on Jan. 29, had a turnout of 18 people, and Lee had them all introduce themselves. The meeting began with a story about a member playing his latest game written by Lee, known as a campaign. The club officers also shared their ideas about how the new club would function: there would be meetings once a week and a set of rules for gaming parties. It’s best to play Dungeons & Dragons in small groups, so MURDDA groups members and schedules times for them to meet and play.
“This club is a bit of a commitment since you’re playing with four to five others,” Lee said. “You have to be committed to the game; the rest can’t play without you.”
Even though there can be a time commitment with playing a game, [MURDDA believes](https://orgsync.com/166207/chapter) playing the game will enhance skills in working as a team, compromising and public speaking.
“You can get into the mathematics of it, or you can just role-play and have fun with your friends,” Lee said.
If there’s any interest in the game or club, feel free to go to a meeting and try it out, Lee and Hoskin said.
“The word is already spreading,” Hoskin said. “People that weren’t in the original group emailed us that we didn’t know.”
MURDDA meets Monday nights at 7 p.m. in Room 104 of Strickland Hall.
_Edited by Alexandra Sharp | asharp@themaneater.com_