How a Dungeons & Dragons meetup turned into mutual aid during ICE operations
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Despite having watched people play Dungeons & Dragons online, Kat Hennan didn’t have the opportunity to join a campaign of the popular tabletop roleplaying game.
“None of my friends and family play,” she said, adding that she had resigned herself to just watching others play on the streaming platform Dropout.
But last spring, Hennan happened upon a flyer for Dragons, Dungeons and Drink, a community of D&D players who meet up a few times a month at bars and breweries in the Twin Cities to play the game. She realized this was her chance to finally check out the game in real life — and to join an adventuring party in pursuit of light and justice.
Hennan said having a sense of community has always mattered, but “especially right now.”
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Founded in 2023, Dragons, Dungeons and Drinks — or DD&D — hosts several events each month. Some are designed for people who want to learn how the game is played. At events, attendees are assigned to different tables, each led by a game master who guides players through the adventure.
“I think that there's something to be said about being around people in third spaces where you can just go and be yourself,” said Renee Devereux, one of the co-founders of DD&D.
Due to the recent ICE operations in Minnesota, however, the group has also begun offering mutual aid support to its members.
“The reason that it became important to take action now is because it really felt impossible not to,” Devereux said, adding that some players have been afraid to attend events — or even leave their house.
“Because of the recent events in Minneapolis, our community has really, in some ways, been traumatized.”
The community, which Devereux estimates is around 2,500 people, has stepped up. They’ve organized a “Know Your Rights” workshop for those in the community, as well as accompanied immigrants to appointments and coordinated food donations to those in need.
“I didn't know how to help the community. I didn't know how to help as a citizen,” said Marcus Sheeler, another co-founder of DD&D. What he does know how to do, though, is barbecue. After suggesting that he cook for families affected by ICE operations, the DD&D community encouraged him.
“Not only that, they were the ones that found the families that needed it,” Sheeler added. “When I did that, it felt like I was taking a risk, but it felt like I wasn't scared, because the community was there for me.”
The support Sheeler felt mirrors the support found in their adventuring parties at the D&D table.
“In a story, you can be the underdog who defeats the big, bad, evil entity,” said D&D player Kat Hennan. “I think that having that kind of thought exercise and storytelling right now is extremely important.”
But Hennan also recognizes that sitting at a table with your friends to escape from the real world for a few hours is also therapeutic.
“I would really encourage anyone who's even remotely thought about maybe looking into D&D to come be a silly little wizard with us.”
