The Dungeons and Dragons Club started in the 2022-2023 school year. The club was originally created for a group of now 9th graders, who did not fit in with other clubs or groups, but were very creative. The Dungeons and Dragons Club continued into this year. Originally only open to eighth grade students, the club is going to be available for all grades, 5-8 starting next year.
At the beginning of the school year, a fifth grade parent reached out to Mr. Derickson, the teacher in charge of the club, and asked if the group could be formed for fifth grade.
Currently, the Dungeons and Dragons Club is closed to any new members. To avoid any confusion, the club will become available for all grades next year. The goal is to include all students who wish to play the game. As of this year, there are 12 eighth grade students and five fifth graders who are currently playing . Mr. Derickson, 7th grade ELA teacher and teacher sponsor of the Dungeons and Dragons club, expects 5-8 students from each grade to join the club, with 20-30 students total.
The goal of the Dungeons and Dragons Club is to introduce students to the game, give them an understanding of how the game works, and to teach them how to play the game properly. The biggest fear of opening the club to other grades is that there will be too many students to make the club manageable. As of this year, the Dungeons and Dragons Club meets once a week, and would likely have to meet less often the more students join. A group playing the game should only consist of around six people in order to have a well-balanced adventuring party. Any more than 5-7 players would cause the game to become too confusing and people would want to talk over one another.
“It just feels like [Mr. Derickson] is going to have a lot of pressure on him and there might be groups messing around,” Tristan Fitzgerald, eighth grade student and member of the Dungeons and Dragons Club, said. The Dungeons and Dragons Club currently has three adventuring parties, two eighth grade parties and one fifth grade party. One concern seems to be that the more students that join the club and the more adventure parties that are formed, the more confusing and overwhelming the meetings will become.
The high school has no Dungeons and Dragons Club. However, there are groups of students who will organize, run, and play their own games. Mr Derickson has been playing Dungeons and Dragons for about four years now, and says he enjoys telling stories through the game.
