The Science of Dungeons and Dragons

Introduction

Hello everyone! The Magical Mythtress is back once again with the second half of my deep dive into one of my most special interests—Dungeons & Dragons. If you were here last week, you know that we covered the history and humanities of Dungeons & Dragons. If you missed that article, be sure to check it out here! Don’t worry, I’ll wait until you come back.

Welcome back! Now that you’re all caught up, let’s do some science!

Natural Science

When thinking about a game that revolves around the theme of high fantasy, such as Dungeons & Dragons, it’s difficult to picture the involvement of natural sciences; however, starting in the 1990s, a larger focus was placed on the science behind the swords and sorcery. In the early days of fantasy settings—meaning Circe in Homer’s Odyssey, among other early characters, magic was a given, as natural science had not evolved enough to explain how the process worked. Circe would wave her wand, and Odysseus’ crew would turn into pigs—similar to the Mass Polymorph spell in Dungeons & Dragons—but no information beyond this was given as to why the spell functioned this way. (Phillips & Vander Ploeg, 1998)

This changed with novels like Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, which gave an explanation to the form of magic using real-world elements. Other authors, like Katherine Kurtz, used magic to explain their understanding of pseudoscience like ESP. This expanded beyond fantasy novels into tabletop role-playing games as well. For D&D in particular, the dichotomy between a martial warrior and a magic user is the physical prowess of the warrior and the intellectual capabilities of the mage, with the appropriate anatomical changes. (Phillips & Vander Ploeg, 1998)

The natural sciences also extend to real-world applications, with mathematics required to calculate the results of skill checks, modifiers, and all other dice rolls made with a set of polyhedral dice. Often, these modifiers are +/-3 formula for specific character ability scores, and a combination of this modifier along with a proficiency bonus for skills. To check these skills during a game situation, the player rolls a 20-sided die and calculates based on their ability modifier and proficiency bonus compared against a difficulty calculation, or DC, check. A higher roll will result in a success, while a lower roll results in a failure. (Fitzpatrick, 2019) D&D also now has a large internet presence, with the ability to create and store character sheets on websites like DNDBeyond.com and Roll20, and the ability to create and purchase custom miniatures from websites like HeroForge.com, bringing the swords and sorcery of the TTRPG genre to the technological age.

Social Science

Dungeons & Dragons has sparked the imaginations of players since its inception in 1974, and drew on the imaginings of existing fantasy worlds that came before, such as Middle Earth in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and the titular Narnia in Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. In a social context, the ability to play in a make-believe setting is psychologically beneficial. In children, games like D&D that rely solely on the creativity of its players improve cognitive development and lead to increased success in a child’s socialization with their peers. (Silcox, 2012) As the human mind matures into adulthood, there is a diminishing return on the cognitive benefits of make-believe; however, the encounters and situations presented in tabletop role-playing games aid in the development and maintenance of problem-solving and critical thinking skills. In addition, communication and socialization are also skills that are enhanced by the collaborative nature of D&D.

COVID-19 and 2020 brought multiple changes to the social nature of D&D. Where groups would previously gather around a physical table and interact in the real world, the need to socially distance ourselves to maintain the health of one another and the health of those close to us meant an increase in playing over text and video platforms, such as Discord and Zoom. As a result, players across differing demographics and backgrounds found themselves brought together more easily, allowing for a wider distribution of ideas, stories, and community feedback for Wizards of the Coast, D&D’s parent company. (Lapointe, 2020)

Perhaps the most significant of these was the feedback on the orc and Drow races, canonically dark-skinned races who are typically portrayed as evil. Particularly following the death of George Floyd and a stronger voice for the Black Lives Matter movement, these races, along with all other races, were re-worked in the new sourcebook, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, to offer a better version of diversity for player races. (Lapointe, 2020)

This Week’s Conclusion

These social practices have grown around popular culture, as well as Dungeons & Dragons, include the development of social media groups. Social media pages, such as “D&D Memes” on Facebook, share images that relate back to popular culture both in Dungeons & Dragons and external sources, such as current events. These memes also provide an insight into modern society by referencing other aspects of popular culture. For example, a recent meme combined Dungeons & Dragons lore with images and text from Star Trek, with the added trope of the rogue character—a class that often falls towards a chaotic neutral alignment—and a paladin character—a class that nearly always falls into a lawful good alignment—being asked if the two were friends, and giving simultaneously opposing responses. As more social interaction moves online, these types of memes are shared more often, bringing Dungeons & Dragons further than ever before into the limelight of popular culture.

This examination also allows for a deeper understanding of those with different life experiences. For instance, an able-bodied person will not understand the need for something akin to Sarah Thompson’s custom-made Combat Wheelchair in a fantasy setting, but for someone who wishes for this sort of representation in their game, it becomes something they are eager to use and defend the inclusion of to naysayers. Additionally, analyzing these artifacts shows aspects of our thought processes that, when compared to those of other cultures and experiences, can give us room to grow as individuals in a society by teaching us about how our subconscious minds interpret beyond the surface of popular culture. As an example of this, a white man would not immediately pick up on the subtle racism brought forth by the coding of orcs and Drow in Dungeons & Dragons up until last year; however, a person of color would see that their representation in the popular culture artifact is a negative one, and would be more inclined to correct how races should be perceived.

Works Cited

Dungeons & Dragons (2000)—IMDb. (2021). Retrieved 5 April 2021, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190374/

Fitzpatrick, K. (2019). Digital Gaming: Coding a Connective Neomedievalism. In Neomedievalism, Popular Culture, and the Academy: From Tolkien to Game of Thrones (pp. 171-195). Woodbridge, Suffolk; Rochester, NY: Boydell & Brewer. doi:10.2307/j.ctvktrx88.11

Greene, T. (2019). This teacher earns six figures teaching Dungeons & Dragons classes online. Retrieved 15 March 2021, from https://thenextweb.com/gaming/2019/05/21/this-teacher-earns-six-figures-teaching-dungeons-dragons-classes-online/

Hall, C. (2015). D&D’s original Players Handbook finally available as a PDF.. Retrieved 15 March 2021, from https://www.polygon.com/2015/7/8/8913529/dungeons-and-dragons-1e-phb-pdf

Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. (2021). Retrieved 5 April 2021, from https://web.archive.org/web/20130104131941/https://www.usask.ca/relst/jrpc/art9-roleplaying-print.html

LAPOINTE, C. (2020). Understanding Good and Evil: The Influence of Fandom on Overcoming Reductive Racial Representations in Dungeons and Dragons. In PANDE R. (Ed.), Fandom, Now in Color: A Collection of Voices (pp. 136-148). Iowa City: University of Iowa Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv193rr0q.15

Laycock, J. (2015). Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic over Role-Playing Games Says about Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds. Oakland, California: University of California Press. Retrieved March 15, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt13x1hs5

MOLL, N. (2020). A Selective History: Identity and Identification in “Deadlands”. In FINE K., JOHNSON M., LUSH R., & SPURGEON S. (Eds.), Weird Westerns: Race, Gender, Genre (pp. 92-116). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv134vmk2.6

Ploeg, S., & Phillips, K. (1998). Playing With Power: The Science of Magic in Interactive Fantasy. Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, 9(2 (34)), 142-156. Retrieved March 15, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43308337

RIISMANDEL, K. (2019). “Say You Love Satan”: TEENS AND POPULAR OCCULTURE IN 1980S AMERICA. In BERGHEL S., FIELDSTON S., & RENFRO P. (Eds.), Growing Up America: Youth and Politics since 1945 (pp. 211-227). ATHENS: University of Georgia Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctvfxv9hk.15

Silcox, M. (2012). On the Value of Make-Believe. The Journal of Aesthetic Education, 46(4), 20-31. doi:10.5406/jaesteduc.46.4.0020