From basement to boardroom, fantasy role playing game Dungeons & Dragons has become a cultural icon for the millions who play, and big business in the publishing world. This talk takes you on a journey into the world of D&D and how playing it can help you strategize like a level 20 wizard.

1. 2019
Hello.
D&D.How D&D made me a better strategist, by Matt Waghorn.

2. Agenda.
1. WhatisD&D?
2. Howitworks.
3. Whyeveryoneshouldplayit.
4. Lessonsforstrategist.

3. What is D&D?

4. From a basement in Lake Geneva.

5. Gary Gygax & Dave Arneson.

6. 1974.
The woodgrain “brown box” edition of D&D
was the first commercially sold roleplaying
game, released in 1974 by Tactical Studies
Rules (TSR). Only 1000 copies were printed.
First edition.

7. Born from tabletop war gaming.
“The typical war
gaming enthusiast
is overweight and
not neat in
appearance”.

8. When geek
wasn’t cool.
D&D was taking the world
by storm. Spawning
boardgames, magazines,
hobby shops — and a kids
TV show by 1983.
Circa 1977.

9. Dangerous games.
A satanic panic.
In 1987, in an attempt to link D&D to
satanism, two pastors wrote a book that
condemned role-playing as allowing too
much freedom, something the authors
regard as a gateway to critical thinking which
in turn may result in heretical thought.

10. Its rules and play-
style have evolved.
1974 - Original D&D.
1977 - Advanced D&D.
1989 - Second edition.
2000 - Third edition.
2003 - v3.5.
2008 - Fourth edition.
2014 - Fifth edition.
Forty five years & counting.

11. A renaissance in
pop culture.

12. TV & movies.
Featuring in Stranger
Things first episode; one of its
most terrifying creatures
comes straight from D&D.
Stranger Things.

13. Celebrity
players.
“My house in L.A. is the
hub, and all the writers,
directors, comedians,
actors - we all started
playing again”.
Joe Manganiello.

14. Live streaming.
Legit D&D, live streamed
to people around the world,
watched like a TV show.
Critical Role.

15. “Dungeons&Dragonsis
seeingitsbestyearever”
Source: Hasbro Chairman and CEO Brian Goldner (CNBC July 2018)

16. It’s even played
in prison.

17. A brand ecosystem with multiple touchpoints.
Books. Podcast & video. Miniatures. Accessories. Technology.
30+ official published
books. Hundreds of
licensed publications and
thousands of fan fiction
and unofficial materials.
Hundreds: for DM’s,
players, campaigns,
mechanics etc, not to
mention live streams,
and video content.
A vibrant collecting and
painting community:
Bones, WizKids,
Dwarven Forge,
Hero Forge, etc.
Boardgames, dice,
towers, paper sheets,
spell cards, playmats etc.
There’s a genuine
physicality to the brand.
D&D Beyond, Dragon+
and hundreds of third
party apps, maps, sound
fx systems.

18. How it works.

19. An outline
of a story.
Maps, illustrations, key
characters, their motives,
the story arc and plot points.
As the DM, how you choose
to tell that story, is up to you.
HOTDQ

20. How D&D works.
Dungeon Master Player choicesStory
Random
factor (dice)
Interpretation

21. Let’splayagame.

22. Imagineyou’vejustescaped
aterribleorphanage,runby
eviltwinsisters…

23. Tired,hungry,inunfamiliar
lands-youcomeacrossa
cosydwellingbuiltintoa
dyingtree.

25. The foundations of today’s video games.
Inspiring generations
of game designers.
Open worlds.
Character and class selection.
Level progression and experience points.
Inventory management.
Hit points.
Etc.

26. But D&D’s greatest contribution to
modern gaming is not mechanics.

27. Story.

28. It draws on an innate human
desire to tell stories with others.

29. It’s given us tools to invent entire
worlds, simply in our minds.

30. It asks the question:
who do you want to be?

31. By answering this, you’re
propelled to imagine.

32. And when we use our imagination, the
power of storytelling is returned to us.

33. Meet, Hank.
Conflicted heir to noble
wealth he’s since forsaken.
Seeking atonement in the
eyes of his god for a terrible
mistake — now bent on
cleansing the world of
those whom he judges
unworthy of life.
Who would you be?

34. Why everyone
should play it.

35. You do
the math.
• Arithmetic and probability.
• Reading and comprehension.
• Critical thinking, analysis and reasoning.
• Improvisation and problem solving.
• Spatial visualization, basic physics.
Cognitive skills.

36. Never split
the party.
• Collaborative diversity; synergy of skills.
• Tolerance, negotiation skills and
compromise with other players.
• Acceptance of your own character’s
weaknesses - self-contentedness.
• Overcoming social anxiety and developing
extroversion - a safe place to fail.
Social skills.

37. You are whom
you design to be.
• Good or evil? Lawful or chaotic?
• Freudian-like projection of your own
personality flaws and fantasies into
your character.
• Self-reflection in the character
qualities and flaws of other players.
• By controlling your character’s emotions,
you learn to identify and control emotions
of yourself - vicarious development.
Developmental skills.

38. “Dungeons&Dragonsisa
gatewaydrugtoreading.”
Source: Professor Ian Slater,York University

39. A curricular node.
Playing D&D makes
you smarter.
Countless experiments show significant increase in
academic performance derived from the variety of
interwoven skills students exercise when playing.
“Students willingly used, and further developed, their
reading and writing skills while creating stories,
narratives and presentations for the project”.
“Information has to be synthesized, meaning students
have to glean from the reading what is necessary to
make a character act in the imaginary world”.
Sarah Roman: teachingwithdnd.com

40. Lessons for
strategists.

42. • To get players’ attention you need to
explain how outcomes affects them
individually. Personalized context
is paramount to them giving a shit.
The future of creative personalization?
• To get players immersed you need to
give them a choice to make. Agency
creates responsibility, free will is the
key to immersion. Should we develop
more choice-based brand experiences?
• When players are immersed they’ll
follow every lead, finding meaning in
things because they want to believe.
High barrier-to-engagement
community building?
Lessons for strategists.

43. • Never assume players will do a
certain thing, and don’t over-plan.
Stories are fluid, allow them to flow.
How can we build adaptation into a
static brand narrative? How would
we design an adaptive brand?
• When you allow players to own the
solution, they treasure the outcome.
What if a brand demanded
participation and offered reciprocity
in return? Isn’t that the
underpinning of a relationship?
• Hiding the prize so it can be found.
Nothing worth having is easily won.
How about a frictional brand?
Lessons for strategists.

44. • We have a need to make sense of
the world around us. By making
something that doesn’t make sense,
we provoke curiosity and desire. How
juxtaposition stimulates our mind.
• The end may be the purpose, but
trying to get there is why they play.
The act of shopping for a brand is as
important as owning it.
• Know your player character’s needs
and flaws and create experiences
that play into them. Design for
unspoken human needs, not just
those that are obviously unmet .
Lessons for strategists.

45. Questions?

46. Done.May 2019
How D&D made me a better strategist.