This poster celebrates the many tabletop games welcome at Cards and Dragons.
Hey tabletop games fans! You might not know this, but there is a club for you here at Watauga High School! Cards and Dragons the Tabletop Games Club is a club all about popular tabletop games, including D&D (Dungeons and Dragons), Yu-gi-oh, and the Gathering. This club is currently run by sophomores Jacob Fannon and Micah Ireland and is a friendly environment for anyone who is interested in anything tabletop game related.
“The club was created a year ago about halfway through the year, although I was not the one who started the club,” said Fannon. “I have taken over with a friend of mine named Micah.”
As any student who has attempted to form a club at Watauga can attest, one of the biggest hurdles to overcome is finding a club sponsor. Thankfully, Fannon and Ireland found Dr. Scott Evans.
“Last year, a student was trying to find a sponsor for the club,” said Dr. Evans, the club’s sponsor. “He found out that I was a long time player of DnD. I have been playing since the 1980s. He asked me to be the club sponsor and I was happy to oblige.”
The club is still pretty new compared to more popular clubs, but on their first meeting they impressively managed to amass around 30 people before the club fair week even finished.
Although the club hasn’t been operating for too long, they have plans for the future relating to attracting a more diverse group of players. Fannon admits that the club is more heavily D&D focused but hopes to expand and increase participation in other tabletop games.
“Tabletop games are basically any game that you don’t play online excluding sport which includes many roleplaying games, card games and board games,” said Fannon.
At meetings members are free to play any tabletop games that they feel like, and they don’t have to feel pressured to make it to every meeting. Fannon reassures members that they don’t have to show up to the meetings unless they want to.
“DND is pretty easy for new players to pick up and there’s a bunch of groups going right now,” said Ireland. “It's also a ton of fun.”
DND or D&D stands for “Dungeons and Dragons”, which is a tabletop game that was created in 1974. Players create their characters and follow a fantasy storyline either originally made by the DM (Dungeon Master) or one of the premade ones published throughout D&D’s history. Dice will determine if an attack hits and how much damage said attack does.
Players can gain experience points, or “XP” for short, to gain more abilities, skills, and class features by defeating enemies or completing difficult tasks, but be warned because players can sometimes lose XP in certain scenarios. Players will also have to carefully watch their Hit Points or “HP”, which deplete when a character takes a hit or comes to harm. When their HP is completely emptied, they die, but players can either resurrect their characters with a few penalties using magic, or they can create an entirely new character to continue playing.
It sounds like a lot to handle, but there are plenty of people in the club who can explain D&D in a more in depth and easy to understand way and are willing to extend a helping hand.
“One of the things about our club that makes it friendly to new people is that you are not required to get anything upon joining although it is encouraged that you get some of your own things such as dice,” Fannon reassures new members.
So don’t worry new members, you won't have to buy a mountain of stuff to participate in club activities.
New members who may not have too much knowledge about tabletop games don’t have to worry about being ignored or made fun of because they don’t know how anything works. There are plenty of veteran members and players that would be happy to teach new members about anything they may want or need to know.
“Students are relaxed and having a good time while at the club,” said Dr. Evans. “Everybody is inviting and genuinely wants to help others discover their love of RPGs.”
The club meets on Wednesdays at 3:30 to 5 in room 3506.
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