Taylor Wilcox, Waupaca Area Public Library, Waupaca, WI is a member of our Wisconsin Teen Librarian Services Group. She shares her experiences with running a Dungeons & Dragons Club in her library.
Yes, the game filled with fantasy and dice-rolling madness is rising in popularity, especially with our teen patrons. This tabletop RPG really makes for a wonderful programming opportunity for our teens! It’s a great way for them to practice their problem solving, teamwork, and social skills in a safe environment, and have fun by creating a character that could, potentially, become the hero of a grand adventure (or a grandiose villain should they deem it so). Giving them the opportunity to play and learn at the library may also build their confidence enough that they’ll grow and want to start their own campaigns with their friends
D&D in Our Library:
I’ve been running a Teen D&D club for almost 3 years now, and while it can be chaotic to run, it’s always a load of fun for our teens and is one of our most popular programs. We have anywhere from 3-12 teens show up, all depending on the type of D&D program we’re hosting. During the school year, I run short, once-a-month one-shots for any teens that are interested in trying out D&D, and plan a larger campaign to run during the summer. Our current campaign has 7-12 eager teens who attend each week and look forward to playing in each session.
How Can I Run It If I’ve Never Played?:
Personally, I find that playing D&D is the best way to learn about and run a D&D session of your own, but I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Otherwise, I recommend listening to an episode or two of a D&D podcast to get a taste for what games could be like and learn through their experiences. If you do, I highly recommend Critical Role or Dimension 20, both are amazing and very different D&D podcasts.
If you’re nervous about running a session on your own, I highly recommend reaching out to your co-workers or a local hobby/game shop and see if there’s anyone that might be interested in running a one-shot or campaign for your teens. I currently have a volunteer for our summer campaign and they’re having a great time running games for our teens. I sit in on the games and play alongside the teens while he runs the game, as it helps our teens to have someone who’s played before.
Materials & Resources:
To play D&D, you really only need a Player’s Handbook, paper, dice, pencils, and character sheets.
The official D&D site (Wizards of the Coast), has so many amazing free, digital resources for beginning D&D players, so I highly recommend checking out what they have available. D&D Beyond offers a virtual option for character creation, and a ton of very useful resources for players. It’s free to use with an account.
We're always looking to connect with other young adult services librarians in WI! If you, or someone you know, wants to join our monthly meetings, please contact Taylor Wilcox at twilcox@waupacalibrary.org.
