What a role-playing game is
Dungeons & Dragons is a role-playing game. There is no board and nobody competes against anybody. You play at a table, with conversation, dice and a sheet that says what your character can do.
One person, the Dungeon Master (DM), describes the world. The others, three to six players, decide what their character does. If something can go wrong, a die decides.
If you do not know what to do, say so and the DM offers options.
The DM describes the scene
A door ajar, a smell of smoke, a voice on the other side.
You say what your character does
In your own words: I open it carefully, I shout, I ask, I draw my sword.
The die settles what is uncertain
You roll a d20, add a number from your sheet and the DM tells you what happens.
How we look after the table
These rules apply to players and DMs alike.
Respect for everyone
Nobody mocks anyone for not knowing the rules, for how they play or for who they are.
Zero tolerance for harassment
Sexual comments, pushing after a no, touching someone without permission or discrimination: the person leaves the table, no refund, no second chance. Anyone can tell the DM or venue staff. We believe them.
18 and over at venues that serve alcohol
Venues that serve alcohol admit only adults and may ask for ID. If there are tables for minors, they are announced separately with their schedule.
Phones on silent
If you have to answer, step out for a moment and come back.
Three tools so nobody has a bad time
- Session zero
- Before starting, the DM talks with the table about what kind of story you want and what you do not. It takes a few minutes.
- Lines and veils
- A line is a topic that never appears in the game. A veil is a topic that exists but is told without detail, like a movie cutting away from the scene.
- The X card
- There is a card with an X in the middle of the table. If something makes you uncomfortable, you tap it, no explanation needed, and the scene changes or is skipped.
Who sits at your table
New people, like you. The first-time table is only for people who have never played, three to six players plus the DM. Nobody arrives with an edge.
The next first-time table is run by Itzel Bahena. See their profile
You can come with someone
Book two seats at the same table, while there is room. You sit together and each of you plays your own character.
What you pay that night
The first-time entry costs $70 MXN. On top of that, each venue asks for a minimum spend per person, which you pay to the restaurant: it is your dinner or your drink. What you spend that night, roughly:
| Venue | Minimum spend | Approximate total |
|---|---|---|
| El Mesón de la HerraduraVista Hermosa | $100 MXN | $170 MXN |
| Jardín de las BugambiliasRancho Cortés | $120 MXN | $190 MXN |
| La Cava del VolcánCentro | $150 MXN | $220 MXN |
What happens at the table over three hours
Talking
Much of the night is conversation, with the characters the DM plays and among yourselves. This is where you find out who the villain is and what they want.
Exploring
You move through a place: a crypt, a forest, a suspicious tavern. You search, open, listen. The DM asks for rolls when something can fail.
Fighting
When there is combat, you act in turns: it is your turn, you say what you do, you roll and the next person goes. Each turn takes under a minute.
The mix changes: a mystery game has almost no combat and a dungeon crawl has almost no conversation. Every game on the schedule says what it is about.
Four characters to pick from
In first-time games the character comes ready-made, sheet filled in and actions explained. Pick the one that catches your eye.
Fighter
Takes hits and hits back
Heavy armor, a sword and lots of health. Steps to the front when something roars. No spells to memorize: you attack, defend and protect the group.
Wizard
Changes the scene with a spell
Little health, lots of power. The sheet already has the spells picked: fire, light, a magic shield. The DM reminds you when to use each one.
Rogue
Goes in where nobody invited her
Stealth, locks, traps and a precise strike when the enemy is distracted. Usually the one who uncovers what the story is hiding.
Cleric
Heals the group and holds their own
Medium armor, a weapon, and healing and protection spells. If someone falls, they pick them up. The table always wants one close.
The d20 is the die that matters
The die of the game. You roll it to find out whether you pull off something uncertain: hitting, persuading, climbing, dodging. The higher the better.
A die is named with a d and its number of faces: a d6 has six. The table brings a full set.
The other five dice
- d4
- Damage for small weapons and some spells. The lowest die and the one that hurts most to step on barefoot.
- d6
- The usual die, the one from any board game. Damage for many weapons and for fireball.
- d8
- Damage for longswords and other one-handed weapons. Also hit points for some classes.
- d10
- Damage for heavy weapons, like the heavy crossbow. Two d10 give a number from 1 to 100.
- d12
- Damage for the most brutal weapons, like the greataxe. It rarely shows up and when it does, you notice.
Five words you will hear
- DM
- Dungeon Master, the person who narrates the world, plays the villains and keeps the rules.
- d20
- The twenty-sided die. Almost every uncertain action is settled by rolling it and adding a number from your sheet.
- Level
- How experienced your character is. They start at 1 and level up with experience, learning new things.
- One-shot
- A complete adventure in a single night, with a beginning and an end. The easiest way to try the game.
- Campaign
- A long story that continues over several sessions with the same group and the same characters.
Five more, for later
- Saving throw
- The roll you make to resist something happening to you: a poison, a spell, a trap.
- Advantage
- You roll two d20 and keep the higher one. You get it with a good plan or a teammate’s help. With disadvantage you keep the lower one.
- Initiative
- The order in which everyone acts when combat begins. Everyone rolls a d20 and you act from the highest number to the lowest.
- HP
- Hit points: your character’s health. They drop with damage. At zero you fall unconscious, but you are not dead.
- Class
- Your character’s trade: fighter, wizard, rogue, cleric. It decides what they can do and what their job is in the group.
Your first game costs $70 MXN
Three hours, a ready-made character and a DM who explains the game as you play. There are tables every week in Cuernavaca. Food and drinks are paid separately.