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DeKalb Library Teaches Patrons How To Make Dungeons And Dragons Terrain

Christine Hatfield
Joshua McCarthy shows people who attended Monday's class what completed terrain might look like. The class ran on most Mondays throughout July.

A series of events at the DeKalb Public Library has taught people how to create terrain for role playing games, such as Dungeons and Dragons.

The classes are meant to show people how they can use readily available building materials to spruce up their games.

Participants learned knife safety.  They were also taught how to cut materials like foam board, cardboard, and sheet insulation.

Joshua McCarthy is the tech desk manager who taught the class. He says summer is a time for experimentation at the library.

“I thought, you know, ‘D & D is getting very popular these days, it’s becoming mainstream – let’s give it a whirl and see what kind of turnout we have,’” McCarthy said. 

He says the program, which ran most Mondays in July, did better than he expected. He says people can use the skills learned in the class for projects such as dioramas, not just role playing games.

“They take something away from it that they can use in maybe their own gaming groups or something else at home,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy, who describes himself as a "lifelong gamer," says he enjoys sharing his hobbies with people. 

“I'm a firm believer that if you want to learn how to do something, you make it part of your hobby, so this kind of thing has a lot of wide reaching potential,” McCarthy said.

He says role playing games can be a good activity for kids and adults alike.

“It’s just a really great pastime activity that the kids get to see how to role play and have a creative outlet that’s maybe not in front of the screen,” McCarthy said.

He adds that with resources being available online and at bookstores, there’s never been a better time to become a player.

“It's definitely a golden age,” McCarthy said. “[With] the availability of resources, 3D printers and stuff like that, people can now make their own dungeons at home, if they want to do that.”

The DeKalb Library also holds classes for other hobbies like 3D printing, gardening, and how to use audio recording studios. A full list of upcoming events is available on their website.

Christine recently completed an internship in the WNIJ newsroom for the summer of 2019. Christine attends Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. As a Des Plaines native, Christine has filed stories for Indiana Public Radio on Ball State's campus. In her spare time, Christine enjoys board gaming, video gaming and listening to 80s music.