It’s the 50th Anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons this year, and with the franchise continually growing more and more into the widespread gaming space in recent years in part thanks to pop culture features that drive interest, there are a lot of newcomers to the beloved tabletop role-playing game – and with a lot of newcomers comes the need for Dungeon Masters to introduce the game to them in a way that will stick. It’s a daunting task for DMs and often newcomers are too intimidated to dedicate the time to learning the game – (almost) no one wants to be sat at a table going through a character sheet column by column with their DM and learning the rules: they want to play the game.
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One of the newcomers to Dungeons & Dragons is Jon Bernthal, who has officially been introduced to the TTRPG by an incredibly capable DM who knows what she’s doing at the head of the table – Deborah Ann Woll. On Bernthal’s REAL ONES podcast, Woll gives Bernthal a basic introduction to the game’s premise, and while he’s intrigued it’s clear there’s some trepidation from the actor as to whether or not learning D&D is something he can handle. Thankfully, Woll actually has the perfect way to introduce the newcomer to the game: By showing newcomers why the game is so great, not by telling them.
To give her consistent co-star an introduction to the game she sets a straightforward scene, the likes of which many D&D players have experienced before in their own sessions: Bernthal is traveling through the woods, a bow on his back, a sword and a dagger at his belt, and barely any moonlight peaking through the trees to guide his path as he hears a crack in the distance. When prompted with a crack in the distance, Bernthal does what every new (and veteran) D&D player should do – he asks for clarification so he knows exactly what he’s getting into.
“How far away?” he eagerly questions, before Woll continues to explain various aspects of Dungeons & Dragons gameplay, settings, creatures, and lore. When Bernthal asks what the goal of the game is and asks whether it’s ultimately the goal to win, Woll has the perfect answer:
“The goal is to tell a great story.”
You can watch the full conversation below, in which Woll discusses how D&D impacts her career in acting and her personal life.
