This week, Geek Native has been a little blown away when we were sent this video from Glasgow-based D&D group Fort-Knight Adventures!
You know the story… organising D&D groups can be a bit hit and miss, and getting players together in the same room at a time that suits everyone is a bit like herding cats! If only they all had a video like this to get people showing up.
The group’s organiser (and also narrator of the video), Sebastian Summers, said of the ad:
The video was REALLY fun to make, I feel that shows. All cards on the table, the behind the scenes stuff with the club was a bit all over the place. We’d become independent, didn’t have any funding, but this was exactly why we needed something eye catching.
It really is a labour of love, and a lot of creative members put their two cents in. When I’m running the games it’s like I, too, go somewhere else for a good four hours, a little like dear auld Dorothy! There’s some Oz parallels and references throughout – like the chanting “no place like home” slowly becoming a low drone of “we’re definitely NOT a cult” in a pub full of people … That was nice. See if you can spot the other little references and Easter eggs!!
It’s such a nicely produced – and entertaining – wee ad, and seems to perfectly capture the vibe we all aspire to have at a D&D session. Hopefully it’ll give more groups something to aspire to:
Speaking of why he’d chosen to make the ad, Summers said:
Making an ad wasn’t so much about attracting more players (though we always love to welcome people to the group) but more to celebrate the fun we have together. I feel it’s pretty accurate to the events and the atmosphere, one moment that brings me a lot of joy is when the tin man gets his joints oiled and limbers up!
This member has had a lot to overcome socially, but has been with us since the beginning. Using Roleplay is an inspired way to become more engaged with people and their responses. That just makes my heart sing.
Geek Native agrees that’s that’s definitely something to be proud of. We also spoke to Shona Macpherson, one of FKA’s enthusiastic DM team, who said of the group:
I’m really proud of what we’ve built up, we’re a good sized community now! We’re very keen to be friendly and welcoming and absolutely anybody who books a ticket and shows up can just jump in and play – we provide the character sheets, the dice, everything and we love newcomers to gaming and D&D.
What a great vibe – I’d say the ad has definitely done the group proud! If you’re within reach of Fort-Knight Adventures in Glasgow, you can book a ticket to one of their events via EventBrite.
What do you think of the Fort-Knight adventures video – should more D&D nights make an effort like this, and would players be better engaged as a result? Comment below to have your say.
