Quick! The temple is collapsing! sophomore Alex Lane screams while seated in McEwen 212. Find the key, open the door and escape!

No, Lane isnt awakening from a bad dream while napping in a communications class, hes playing the role of Dungeon Master in a fantasy role-playing game called Dungeons and Dragons.

Once a week, Lane abandons his college obligations as a philosophy major to take the role of a Dungeon Master, an alias where he leads his fellow players through an adventurous and fascinating world of D&D games.

D&D was created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Tactical Studies Rules, a company created by Gygax, first produced the game in 1974.

The players can take on a different character ranging from elves to wizards. Then, they are given a profession and certain skills they will use for combat and other basic abilities. The Dungeon Master creates a story and the players follow along accordingly. A single game can last for hours and involves dice and a grid board for complicated situations.

The group here at Elon is so good at [D&D] that often we have the most fun just letting the characters sit around in a tavern and talk with each other, Lane said. When characters take on a life of their own like that, they gain their own emotions, develop as individuals or form romantic feelings for one another. Its really fun to see how each imaginary person has changed over time.

Once the setting, plot and characters are created, the players take turns living out the adventure invented for them by the Dungeon Master.

The game is nice in that it is very open ended, allowing for a lot of creativity, Lane said. The best players are those who can forget they're playing a game and delve totally into their characters.

The fine line between D&D and the average board game is the sense of unpredictability throughout gameplay.

The thing I enjoy the most is watching the story unfold around the characters and how the characters react to things. Its like watching a movie, only your playing in it, sophomore Melissa DeMoss said.

DeMoss, active for about a year, said that there are guidebooks available to help players get better acquainted with their characters.

D&D can be a little hard to get into, unless you have help. The best way to learn the game is to find a friend who plays and play with them, since its easiest to pick up the process and rules, which can be complicated, by actually playing, Lane said.

The D&D group meets in the McEwen Communications building every week on days that dont conflict with members schedules. Although the game only allows for six players, students are welcome to come to meetings to watch. Anyone interested in attending a meeting or trying to join another D&D group can contact Lane at alane7@elon.edu.

Reporter: John McMarus - 02/22/07