SPOTLIGHT:

QUEST LGBTQ+ DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

Kass and Avery share how their love of Dungeons and Dragons brings creativity, connection, and inclusivity to the centre.

What inspired you to start the Dungeonsand Dragons group at the centre?
Kass: I had always been interested in the idea of D&D but never had the chance to actuallyplay. A few years ago, Avery taught me the ropes and DM’d for a group of our friends and we had a brilliant time! After it concluded, we thought it would be a great opportunity to build a community of folks with similar interests and share that fun and excitement.

Avery: I’d been playing D&D and other tabletop role-playing games for a few years and noted that the game was increasingly popular among LGBTQ+ people, and so I thought it would be a nice way for queer people to meet likeminded individuals through a shared hobby or take their first steps in exploring tabletop role-playing games in a comfortable and accepting environment.

What’s been your favourite adventure or campaign so far?
Kass: There are too many great adventures to pick out just one, but Avery’s campaigns are always a blast. Her ability to improvise adds a beautiful element of freedom to her games; if the players want to go completely off the rails, it can be so.
Avery: Highlights for me were when my players confounded the evil schemes of a supervillain who was revealed to be a psychic frog and later a brief but particularly destructive all-goblins campaign.

How do you think D&D helps build connections within the LGBTQ+ community?
Kass: I think D&D is a brilliant way to form connections within the LGBTQ+ community, primarily bringing members of the community together to socialise and to offer a degree of escapism, through which one’s expression has no bounds. Certainly when times are tough, we have come together to help and support one another. It’s truly heart-warming to see the strong and lasting friendships that have been formed through the group.

Avery: I think D&D and games like it help to build connections because they encourage a sense of camaraderie as you and your fellow adventurer work together to solve mysteries and defeat evil- doers, leading to shared moments which the players will remember for years afterwards. More specifically to our community, I think D&D and other role-playing games offer up a safe environment to explore feelings about gender and sexuality when we may not otherwise be able to, which helps to build connections in the community as the game becomes a tool to help and support one another through the process of self-discovery.

Join Kass, Avery and our wonderful Quest members every Monday at Attenborough Arts Centre (Studio 1) from 6-8pm. Beginners are welcome. Come along and embark on an adventure of your own!