This year, a group of students started a Dungeons and Dragons club at Park with the help of physics teacher Daniel Ruzek.

According to Ruzek, the club’s adviser, Dungeons and Dragons’ first year is off to a solid start, with around twelve kids regularly attending meetings.

“(This first year has) been amazing. I was kinda surprised (students) wanted to do it,” Ruzek said. “I had started playing (Dungeons and Dragons) about a year or so ago myself and (some students) approached me with the idea of forming this club.”

Sophomore Marley Spears said she heard about the club through already in
volved members.

“I heard about (Dungeons and Dragons) because some of my friends were signing up and they were like ‘you should join’ and I was like ‘alright, it sounds fun,’” Spears said.

According to Ruzek, the club’s cofounders, seniors Simon Lewin and Eric Manuel, have been leading the club in its first year.

“(Lewin and Manuel) led the charge in getting kids involved, putting up promotional materials (and) getting the system to get some new gamemasters set up so other kids can run games,” Ruzek said.

Ruzek said although the club hasn’t formally met to discuss plans for next year, it hopes to continue its presence at Park moving forward into the 2017-18 school year.

“We’d like to see (Dungeons and Dragons) carry forward,” Ruzek said. “One of the ideas is to get some of the younger kids trained in to run the games.”

Lewin said he facilitated a workshop from the beginning of January to the beginning of March to help current members feel prepared to run the club after he graduates.

“I ran this thing called ‘DM (Dungeon Master) Workshop’ where we essentially teach people how to create worlds, run the game and just kind of get the whole process going,” Lewin said.

According to Lewin, with its trained members, Dungeons and Dragons foresees success in years to come.

“(The DM Workshop) has really helped to kind of set up our legacy for the club because we have probably five or six freshman and sophomore that now essentially know how to run the entirety of what our club does,” Lewin said. “That there is just a big indicator that the club is going to go on in the future.”

Ruzek said he enjoys advising Dungeons and Dragons.

“I get to play the game, which is fun,” Ruzek said. “It’s also fun to see how different kids play the game differently, with their own set of rules and own flavor for how they manage it and run it.”

According to Lewin, Dungeons and Dragons proves a fun experience for those involved.

“(The club is) just fun,” Lewin said. “It’s a good way to get together with friends and just get creative. It’s cool to start a legacy.”

According to Ruzek, Dungeons and Dragons meets after school every Monday and Thursday in room A305.

“It’s a fun club and we’re always looking for new players,” Ruzek said. “If anyone’s looking to join us, come on in and we’ll show you how to play.”