The London Dungeons & Dragons Meetup runs weekly throughout the city and is a place for players to come together and roam far-off realms.
The event has been running since spring 2006 and now has over 14,000 members.
First published in 1974, Dungeons & Dragons is a table-top role-playing game led by a Dungeon Master who narrates the story and creates the world for players to explore.
Current organiser Zander has been at the helm of the London Meetup since 2008 and is the only remaining original player.
He said: “I came to the London Dungeons & Dragons Meetup back in 2006 because I was looking to play D&D and was game-less at the time.
“I eventually took over the Meetup and grew the club to what it is today to share my passion for D&D with as many people as possible.
“Running the Meetup isn’t always easy, but seeing someone at an event punch the air and shout with joy when they’ve rolled a 20 on a 20-sided die makes it all worthwhile!
“I also do it for the camaraderie. I’ve made real friends at the Meetup over the years. Others have too.”
In the game of storytelling and fantasy, successful battles are decided by the roll of a 20-sided die and so keeps players on their toes as fate chooses their next move.
The group’s original founder was an American Air Force Officer, stationed at Mildenhall Air Force Base, who would visit London every weekend to see his then girlfriend, now wife.
It began as a small group of six attendees and has now expanded to 15 to 23 games every Saturday and Sunday.
Now, the largest attendance on any one day was 117 players split across 17 games.
The event is free to attend but the organisers encourage donations where possible to contribute to the running of the Meetup.
The group also filled an entire auditorium of a Leicester Square cinema for a preview screening of the film ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ in 2023, which raised £2,000 for an NHS-affiliated charity.
The 20-year-old Meetup will continue to bring Londoners together for the chance to escape the hustle and bustle and discover a whole new adventure in the basement of a pub.
Watch the video below for more on the event.
To see when the event is running visit https://www.meetup.com/london-dnd/
Featured image credit: Finley Adams
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