Local creative shares origin story, therapeutic uses of role-playing games

An icon of role-playing games frequented Roger Huntman's Dungeons and Dragons sessions in the 1980s Midwest.

“If you lived in Minneapolis, you had a great chance of playing with Dave," Huntman said. "Dave had some guys literally find him during the game, hunt his character down and kill his character in the game on purpose. After that, he decided that he was going to just nonchalantly find other groups to play in, and he came into ours.”

The Dave in question was the late Dave Arneson, one of the original creators of the first published role-playing game: D&D. He developed the game with Gary Gygax in the 1970s.

Huntman, of Coeur d'Alene, said their games were open to anyone.

“I don’t care who you are, what your sex is, what your gender is, what your age is. Come play,” Huntman said. “And he kept showing up. I was 19 and he was an old guy. Nobody at the table knew who he was other than his name was Dave.”

It was a real eye-opener for Huntman when he went to a gaming convention in Minneapolis with a friend, where Arneson was signing books.

His friend said, "You know that guy? That’s Dave Arneson."

"I’m like, 'Who’s Dave Arneson?'” Huntman said.

His friend told him he was a creator of D&D, which Huntman didn't believe.

“I’m sensing I’m being put on, so I walk over there and say, 'Hey Dave, did you make D&D?’ And he said, ‘Well, Gary and I made half of the game,’" Huntman said. "Previously, I had argued with him over the rules of the game.”

Huntman has now published more than 40 books. At the end of November, he and colleague Charlie Prince released the newest installment of the "Starfighters" tabletop role-playing game, "Zero G Omnibus."

The "Starfighters" universe blends sci-fi with cyberpunk themes.

“It’s a science fiction world where AI has taken over the Earth and humanity has expanded into space, trying to harness new kinds of technology,” Huntman said.

He gives much of the credit to those early days serendipitously finding himself in the presence of a gaming luminary.

"I never would have made my own game without Dave Arneson," he said. "When I found out who he was I totally fanboyed him and he said, 'You know what, you should write your own game.'"

Huntman got a word processor, printed his first game story at Kinko’s and brought it to Arneson, who gave his approval.

"He said, 'You know what, this is really good,'" Huntman said. 

Tabletop role-playing games have been such a part of Huntman's life, he has found them to be useful as he works with troubled youth as a behavior intervention specialist. He first started using D&D in a clinical setting in 1999 and wrote "Teaching with Role-playing" as a guide for parents, teachers and counselors to also incorporate play and gaming into their sessions with kids.

"In today's environment there is an explosion of experts on role-playing," Huntman wrote in the book. "Many of those kids in the '80s that were playing in the basement succeeded in life. They learned the goal-setting skills learned in their favorite game and acquired the skills and credentials to be doctors, lawyers, psychologists and engineers. It is no surprise that they would turn their research to their favorite hobby and collect data. Any online search can show you, the educator or the parent the numbers and benefits."

He said he first introduced tabletop gaming when he worked with a group of boys with violent tendencies at a home in Iowa.

"I needed some way to distract them from being violent," Huntman said. "I brought the game in and was able to use it with therapeutic goals. They loved it. I always had a full session of boys, about 10 boys at the table. They went from being very angry people to boys who would work together."

Huntman is a new member of the Lake City Gamer Club and through a mutual friend became friends with Scott Jacobson, a retired Lake City High School teacher and one of the club's founders.

"I saw on Facebook that he was going to do a demo of his 'Starfighters' role-playing game at our local Strategy and Games store in the Silver Lake Mall," Jacobson said. "I checked it out and was extremely impressed, not just with the game, but how he conducted the session involving one of my past students. I was amazed at how he made the experience so inviting and entertaining and customized it on the fly, adjusting to the experience level of the player.

"After that, not only did I buy his 'Starfighters' book, but invited him to a special show-and-tell board game demo event we'll be hosting at the club in February," Jacobson said.  

With the popularity games like D&D have found in recent popular culture with younger generations via the "Stranger Things" series and "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor among Thieves" film, Huntman said it's been unbelievable to watch the evolution take place.

“I am super glad that it has expanded," he said.

Huntman's works can be found on amazon.com and at Strategy and Games in the mall.

    A painted miniature monster awaits heroes to approach in a tabletop game in Roger Huntman's Coeur d'Alene basement. The prolific game creator has written several gaming books as well as books about the therapeutic use of roleplaying games when working with kids.
  

    Coeur d'Alene resident Roger Huntman is the author of the "Starfighter" roleplaying game series. His newest book, “Zero G Omnibus,” was released in late November.