Everything I Need To Know I Learned From Dungeons & Dragons: A Review
Have you ever played so many roleplaying games during your lifetime that you start describing aspects of your life in game terminology? I did. When I was younger, my friends and I played so much Dungeons & Dragons and Palladium that my friends and I would describe a pretty girl as having high charisma or hoping you’ll pass a test by rolling well in Intelligence or tripping as failing your dexterity roll. Writer Shelly Mazzanoble, who has written for Dragon magazine, takes this to the next level with the recently released her new book, Everything I Need To Know I Learned From Dungeons & Dragons: One Woman’s Quest To Turn Self-Help into Elf-Help. Much like myself, Shelly has a disdain for self-help books, the kind that show up on The Oprah’s book club and become fads than helpful guides. Through her creative writing, she was able to take her knowledge of these books and wrote an entertaining book that both casual readers and hardcore role-players can enjoy.
This book is really an insight into Shelly’s perspective on how a social activity can be a constructive tool to help you in the world outside RPG books, but this is not a serious book at all. It’s not a set of rules brought together by recycled proverbs, pseudo-science and surveys. It’s more of a set of comedic tales about Shelly and her mom. Her mom, who is a very energetic, funny and caring individual, is very concerned for her daughter’s path in life and has decided to fill Shelly’s life with self-help books. What Shelly writes almost seems like a parody, with each chapter tackling important questions such as religion and finding relationships but using her D&D experience to give us a funny perspective on tough topics. Have you ever thought about how being a Dungeon Master can make you a more organized person? Or perhaps how a D&D approach to religion can give you a better insight into your own spiritual practices? Or what role you like to play actually tells you about your personality? These fun questions are explored.
What I enjoy best about the book is how relatable it is. Shelly Mazzanoble is very open about her life and with her relationships with her then- future husband and her mother. I enjoy the “mini-interviews” she has with her mother. I also enjoy some of the mini-features the book has, like the interview with her co-worker at Wizards of The Coast about his time when he was a priest and his spiritual outlook now. If you are looking for a fun book that will make you laugh and give you a bit more insight into the positive aspects of role-playing games then give this one a shot! You can find a copy available to purchase here.
