Broomfield Library hosts biweekly Dungeons & Dragons games for brave adventurers
Apr. 20—Dustin Lambert has been playing Dungeons & Dragons since the 1980s, and he introduced his son to the game after a 30-year hiatus from playing himself. But he and a friend saw a much bigger need for a larger-scale game in the Broomfield community.
That's where the Broomfield Library comes in. The library is currently hosting biweekly games on Saturday for community members looking for games.
"We actually have four to five games running here, with 20 or more total players," said Lambert, one of the founding members of the library group.
Dungeons and Dragons, the tabletop role-playing game first published in 1974, is a collaborative storytelling game where friends and strangers alike gather to engage in adventures of puzzle-solving, mystery and monster slaying.
Lambert runs one of the four games currently taking place at the library every other week. Known as the dungeon master, he guides the game as players explore the imaginary world in front of them. Guided by dice rolls, the players can make any manner of decisions from attacking monsters to having conversations with other characters and players.
In the years between when Lambert first started playing to now, cultural perceptions around the game have greatly shifted.
"Everyone has come to the realization that it's not a satanic cult, and it's definitely more mainstream. ... It's not just the weirdos at lunchtime anymore," Lambert said.
In Lambert's game, players just completed a long dungeon full of skeletons and undead creatures. In the grand conclusion, they faced a disembodied skull shrouded in sickly green flame that had been attacking the neighboring town with his armies of undead servants. Lambert's players will now decide what to do and where to go next on their adventure.
Next door to Lambert's table lies what is lovingly known as the "beginner's table," where those who have never played D&D before can get a taste of the adventures to come.
"It's really designed to be an introduction to people who have never played before," explained dungeon master Reid Hill.
Beginners at Hill's table can expect an intro to combat mechanics, role-playing with other characters and learning the basic mechanics of the complicated game. Last time they left off, the adventuring party was set to teleport to a festival, but when the teleportation goes awry, they find themselves in a mysterious and snowy landscape and must work together to find a way home.
On the other side of the room, Jessica DeGuiseppi runs another game at her table. DeGuiseppi's game is unique, as the majority of her players are her own family members, including her husband, two children and her mother.
"I love D&D because all age groups can play it which is awesome, and everybody can do it," she said. In her game, players are currently gearing up for a fight against a dragon.
Lastly, the youngest of the dungeon masters at only 14, Jacob Zedeck, runs his game. When one of the founding members of the group moved, Zedeck offered to take the torch and run with it. Since then, he's been running games alongside the older dungeon masters.
In Zedeck's game, players are busy setting up a base of operations and working to rescue a beloved pet from a griffon, an avian monster with the head and wings of an eagle and body of a lion.
Zedeck has struggled with consistent attendance at his games, but he is excited to tell a story with whoever can make it to the table.
"I'm excited to have better attendance and really just get going," he said.
Anyone interested in Dungeons and Dragons or who would like to learn more about the Broomfield Library's program is encouraged to join a session or email the library at libraryprograms@broomfield.org.
