The MSMS Tabletop Gaming Club has been a part of the student experience at MSMS since the school’s inception. Through the club, games including Dungeons and Dragons, Monopoly and cards were staples of student life on campus. Because of COVID-19, social distancing hurt a hobby centered around meeting indoors and being in close proximity to one another. Now COVID-19 measures are gone, seniors CJ Jordan and Addie White decided to start the club up again as co-Presidents under the leadership of Kayla Hester. 

“Over the summer, Addie and I were talking about DND stuff, and then we realized, ‘I don’t think that there’s any leadership [in tabletop gaming currently].’ So we emailed the sponsors … And they’re like, ‘yeah, that’d be a good idea,’” Jordan said. “We have a really large collection of MSMS board games that have been built up over the years. There’s a lot in there … Monopoly, Sorry, lots of random board games.” 

The TCG is planning to host at least one game night on Fridays every month in Shackelford Auditorium. The current leadership positions are held by Jordan and White as co-presidents and Jules Gallo as vice president. White has big plans for the events hosted by the club.

“We hope to host a lot of game nights because game nights are always fun,” White said. “We hope to [host] swap card tournaments, Monopoly tournaments and Dungeons and Dragons games too, as well as host a lot of seminars on the logistics behind Dungeons and Dragons such as how to make a good character, how to world-build and the stats behind it.” 

The club has a large number of members for a new club. More than 50 people joined the club during the club fair-one-fifth of the student population. 

White contributes the large number of sign-ups to their unique pitch at the club fair. 

“I’ll call it our marketing strategy, where we offered people pieces of candy if they could roll a correct number on a dice, but we also just explained how easy it was to kick back and relax and just escape from the stress,” White said.

“Escaping from the stress” is a big part of the allure of TGC, Jordan said.

“On top of the stressful school load, MSMS also has high commitment clubs that might drain you… This [club] is just supposed to be a casual thing for you to find people to enjoy the same thing as you,” Jordan said. “I think that out of all of the low commitment clubs, we’re one of the more fun ones. The low-stress vibe is probably the contributor [to why there are so many members].” 

Ava Noe, a junior and new member of the TGC, said she wasn’t aware of the club until club fair.

“I didn’t know that there was a club; I thought it was kind of cool, and I wrote my name down,” Noe said. 

Whatever factors brought her to the TGC, Noe is excited for the possibilities of the club and the outlet it provides.

“I definitely think that DND has a taboo around it because, I don’t know, people think it’s devil worshippers or just 40-year-old men in their basement, but it’s not,” Noe said. “I do think it’s really important to make it well known because it’s a fun game, and it’s a really good outlet. Really, just be yourself.”

Noe also said she enjoys unusual board games, including Killing Mr. Lucky, a board game from the 1980s.

“It’s like Clue but backward,” she said. “You’re trying to kill him first, but he evades your attacks.

One of the games with a bigger following is Dungeons and Dragons. Excitement about the game and its create-your-own-character aspect stretches from the co-presidents to the members of Tabletop Gaming.

“I like to bring the traditional character archetypes and take them out of the stereotype and replace them,” Jordan said. “I’m playing a monk that was designed to be the face [of our DND party]. One of the ones I really like because it’s funny is a barbarian that doesn’t operate off of rage.” 

White said her favorite character ideas are rather devious. 

“I like trickery clerics that lie about who they worship. I’m a sucker for sorcerers, any and all sorcerers. And I really, really do love a flirtatious bard,” White said.  

Noe said she has broader preferences for characters, including warlocks, paladins, druids and bards.

“My favorite race is going to be a Satyr,” she said.

The co-presidents encouraged students who love gaming to join to participate in the fun, low-stress environment of the club.

“If you really, really enjoy gaming, having fun and getting a little rowdy with your friends and monopoly, I highly suggest you enjoy and come to tabletop gaming because this is the place for you,” White said. 

“You need nothing but yourself for this club. It’s low stress, low commitment. It’s just a thing to come to and have fun, and we all need the fun,” said Jordan.

If you would like to join TGC, email Jordan and White for more information.