Monroe County 4-H embarks on Dungeons & Dragons campaign

The Monroe County 4-H program has been increasing opportunities for all youth in the community to participate in 4-H activities. During this time of COVID-19 precautions, the opportunities have been virtual, but connect youths who share interests and pastimes. The goal to expand 4-H in Monroe County and promote inclusion has been the project for the last two AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers that Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County has hosted. The most recent VISTA, Mike Dondorfer, created a 4-H club designed around the popular role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. 

The world of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a world filled with fantasy, magic, and friends found around every corner. The Monroe County 4-H program began its inaugural campaign on May 4 with a group of six intrepid explorers. This group, comprised of 13 to 18 year-olds, meets with Mike, their volunteer Dungeon Master and club leader, every Monday for about two hours of D&D fun. 

Similar to a choose-your-own-adventure book, D&D allows the main storyteller, called the Dungeon Master (or DM), to introduce a scene and describe it to the player, who embodies the role of a fictional character that they design themselves. The player then chooses their course of action based on the DM’s descriptions, and the DM tells them the outcome as a result of the player’s actions. Those actions are usually predicated on a combination of pre-determined player statistics and dice rolls. 

The 4-H club bridges the gap between each player’s physical location, which ranges from Monroe County to Dinwiddie County, Virginia, and as far away as Athol, Idaho. This is achieved through the use of a virtual tabletop called Roll20. 

The teens appear to be enjoying the club immensely. One player gushed that it was great to be “able to work so easily with the team members.” In general, the players noted that working alongside one another to solve problems and progress the story has been a major highlight of the game. 

Another player also noted, “I have enjoyed the efforts put forth by DM and players alike in engaging in the role-playing aspect, which can be difficult to do.” Being able to “get into character,” as it were, is a fantastic skill to learn early on as it helps to develop skills like public speaking and team-building, but also traits like empathy and contributing to something beyond one’s self. 

Participants are not only enjoying the campaign but growing because of it. The group will continue for the foreseeable future. Follow along with the group’s adventures by visiting 4hdnd.blogspot.com and reading the session recaps every week. 

The Monroe County 4-H Program is offered through Cornell Cooperative Extension to the youth of Monroe County. Learn more at http://monroe.cce.cornell.edu/4-h-youth-development. 

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