Sparking a Love for Fantasy at PAX East
PAX East, an annual gaming convention established in 2010, took place at Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center, from Thursday, March 26, to Sunday, March 29 this year. As a total homebody and broke high school student, it was my first time experiencing a convention, and I, along with three friends, completed a dungeons and dragons demo. If you haven’t heard of it, Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game where players work together as a “party” and embark on an adventure.
While the game in itself was interesting and open to imagination, the dungeon master (DM), who is the narrator and world-builder of a D&D campaign, was what made my experience so enjoyable and memorable! Our DM, Peggy, was full of energy and personality, despite having likely DM’d for multiple groups of people at that point in the day. She even physically left her chair to give theatrical demonstrations.
Personally I had never played D&D but it had always been in the back of my mind. Although I was interested in trying, hearing of it from the media, friends having their own campaigns, or watching content creators speak about their own experience, I’ve never fully understood how it worked nor where to start. And so the enjoyment of having an introduction from such an outgoing and fun dungeon master was most certainly enhanced than if I had gone anywhere else!
Of course, I wasn’t the only one who’d been left with an everlasting impression. Jianyu, one of my party members was inspired to create her own D&D world; “I really appreciated how the DM…showcased their emotions…And honestly, I really liked their improv and it [made] me [want] to start DMing instead of playing as a player…because I realize that you can be, really, really, funny as a DM!”
Afterwards while checking out different stands, we came across such unique and tempting goods: art prints, handmade leather books with intricate detailing, maps from fictional worlds, jackets that could be worn inside out, and D&D dice sets that had various scents; pumpkin spice, berry, coffee, and even grass. Everyone hosting the stands were so engaging and invited people to interact with their products. Although my group had passed by the dice sets earlier, it wasn’t until participating in that D&D demo that solidified my decision to purchase!
Stemming from that experience, I’ve played a couple of sessions of An Average Campaign, a fantasy turn-based game free on Roblox, as well as spent the majority of my spring break watching fantasy anime—Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2, Dungeon Meshi, and Witch Hat Atelier—all of which I highly recommend. I am now patiently waiting for the day Jianyu starts her own campaign. You really never know what might spark your interest!
Throughout my time at PAX, it was endearingly obvious how much the people cared about their favorite games, media, personal products, inventions, but most importantly about sharing and introducing that passion to others! If you’re looking for a community of fellow geeks and gaming enthusiasts, come to PAX East next year. I’m certain it’d be worth your time, and hey, you might pick up something new.
