Setting up a Dungeons & Dragons campaign requires an incredible amount of creativity and foresight. Something every writer is capable of having. You’re the Dungeon Master of your own creation. Don’t let too many choices bog you down using this idea.
You may thinking: “How does this help writers at all?”
My answer: “It probably won’t. But it can help inspire you, and sometimes that’s all that is needed to lift that pesky writer’s block. That and having a new ability to help aid in decision making.”
How Will Dungeons & Dragons Help?
DnD was, and still is, a beloved game that has been popular since the 80’s. It allows us to bring our fantasies to life with unpredicted blows, twists, and journeys using our own story ideas and worlds. But it has evolved in the last decade.
In recent years I have discovered that people have been using the dice in ways that I never considered doing myself. Artists use it to create unique designs, crafters use it to create unique gifts, and some people use it to help pick out which outfit to wear or which decision to make. Practitioners have even began using them in divination purposes! (Neat!)
Which got me thinking, what if we start using the dice to help with writing? I haven’t seen anyone do it yet, at least publicly, and I am curious if it’d actually work.
Indecision Hurts Writer’s
One of the biggest things many writers face is the curse of indecision. It’s where you’ll have one too many options to choose from to even begin to know where to start.
Like, what genre should I write? Or, what hair color should my protagonist be?
Other choices can vary depending on which trope you’d like to write in, or where your opening scene should begin. And what about when your characters are faced with a decision to make themselves?
All of these can be better answered using the dice while saving you more time to write. But if you’re unfamiliar with DnD and the dice it uses, then let me explain.
Dungeons and Dragons Dice
There are 7 dice used in DnD campaigns. Each one with a specific purpose which can easily translate into writing uses. The image below shows the most popular 6 options. There is a D100 but that’s typically used for percentile rolls and some attacks depending on what the DM usually decides.
And with this you can get a general idea of what the dice can do, and how they look. But with all these different sides it can lead to bigger and better choices to be made. An example:
Let’s say you have this idea of a character but you can’t decide which eye color they should have. Blue, Green, Brown, or Mixed. That’s 4 choices. A D4 would be the perfect die for answering that question.
How To Use D&D Dice To Make Decisions?
First, make a list of all the possibilities you are currently considering.
Second, count how many there are.
Third, match the appropriate die to the number of choices.
Fourth, roll for an answer.
What Kind Of Decisions Can Be Made By Using D&D Dice?
Anything you want. Here’s a few examples:
- Picking a genre
- Picking a trope to use
- Character creation
- Facial features, personality traits, zodiac sign, birthday, likes/dislikes, clothes, hair, ECT.
- Decision to make between crossroads/paths
- How to end a story
- How to start the story
- Unexpected twists/outcomes
- Length
- House, car, jobs
Literally anything you can think of.
Plotter Vs. Panster
The great thing about this idea is that it doesn’t matter if you plot or pants. Indecision can strike either. This will also help keep you on your toes while writing to avoid getting burnt out or bored of the story.
If you believe this may be the answer to your woes, let me know. I’d love to hear about your thoughts on this technique. I have even found a few different dice on Amazon that genre-specific writers may enjoy. Check them out below and be sure to leave a like and comment if you enjoyed this post! Thank you for reading!
Mystery
Space Opera/Sci-Fi
Horror or Paranormal
Sword & Sorcery
Mythology
Steampunk
Magical Fantasy
Romance
Conversationalist, and Avid Reader with a Love for Questioning the Norm. Owner and Founder of Break the Bull. Podcaster and Gamer. Lover of All things Creative Looking for Ways to Reach Out. Please Feel Free to Show your Support here.
