Sask. kids tell you what you need to know about Dungeons & Dragons

Do dandelions belong in a garden? How do you stay safe while cooking? What can Dungeons & Dragons do for your imagination? 

CBC Saskatchewan is hearing from children this summer in a series featuring advice from kids for kids (and adults). This week it's all about the classic role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). 

How would you describe Dungeons & Dragons? 

"It's a fun role-playing game where you fight monsters and go along and collecting gold," said Demytrius Rolufs-Buzash, 12.

"I like how you can collect lots of stuff and have fun and you can just like make up the story, and you can choose whatever you want to do."

"It's good. It's fighting, like, dragons and … mythical creatures," said 10-year-old David Still from Ochapowace First Nation.

David likes that the game involves exploring and combat, and also likes the creatures characters encounter, including goblins, dragons, giant spiders, trolls and more. 

"I would say that D&D is a really fun game, basically all about fighting mythical monsters as a mythical character," said Regina's Dash Dechene, 10. "I enjoy the amount of freedom and imagination you get from it." 

What's your character like? 

"Wilburt is a hill dwarf," said Dash, describing the race of the character he plays in the game.

"He is unusual because he doesn't have a beard and he's a cleric. A cleric is basically a wizard," but is more focused on helping other characters by healing them, Dash said.

While his cleric is "more healey-healey … he has a high tendency to light stuff on fire," said Dash.

David plays an elf in the game, with "pointy ears and black hair." They "spend a lot of time in the woods," and David's elf wears leather armour.

Demytrius's character is a half-elf and an entertainer, he said. "So he used to perform, but now he does missions on solving mysteries. He has a mask on and, like, a cloak, and it's a really dark mask. You can't really see his face." 

What do people need to know about the game? 

Dice are an important part of the game — they determine things like how much damage your character can take (their hit points) and many other aspects of the game, said Demytrius.

"[Players] need to know how to roll the dice, because you roll the dice to make hit points or just, like, persuade people," he said.

"And you need to know how to solve problems and just make stuff up the top of your head."

"The whole idea of the game is that you're meant to make up stuff," Dash said. "Your character's supposed to be by your design. What you do is supposed to be by your design," he said.

"Most of the time … you have free will, but you still have a little bit of non-free will just so that it still goes on with the game."

What does D&D do for your imagination? 

"It just, like, plays with your mind sometimes. It's like a story, plays, like a movie or a TV show, and you just want to know what happens next," Demytrius said. 

"It actually helps me imagine scenarios and characters a little bit better," Dash said. "It makes my imagination a little gorier and a little happier. It's very fun to play with, like having so much free will to imagine what it looks like."

What do you say to get other kids to play? 

"The game has a bunch of reward," and even dark and dangerous situations can become "a hilarious bit of the story," Dash said.

"One part, me and my friend were like in this really dangerous situation and we turned it into a complete joke. It was hilarious.… The game is never meant to take serious."

David said they like playing the game to get "off the screens."

"If you like fantasy, this is … a game to try," he said.

"I would like to say that it's super fun and you should give it a chance," Demytrius said. "You should be prepared for anything, because anything could happen."