There is something magical happening on the Sunshine Coast.
It’s been happening for years, and people are starting to notice. It calls to them, tells them the marvels that await behind its doors. Those who answer find themselves on the main drag of Currie Street in Nambour, standing outside a den for all those who dream of dragons and dungeons: Heretics Haven.
Behind the doors is store manager Bree Blackmur, herself a keen player of almost seven years and an expert in this fantasy world as a Dungeon Master (DM).
Dungeons & Dragons, or D&D, is a story-telling, monster-fighting, character-making, fun-filled fantasy tabletop game played by all ages and enjoyed by more and more people every day. Originally published in 1974, D&D is widely regarded as the first modern role-playing game.
The D&D community was bolstered by the release of the critically acclaimed Honor Among Thieves movie in March this year. Interest in the game had a surge during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when people discovered they could play it online.
“I believe it hit a spark in 2020,” Bree says. “During COVID people were confined to homes a lot. People started discovering things like Role 20, where you can play D&D online, and were wanting to spend time with their friends rather than just playing video games.”
Bree says that interest continued in real life when the restrictions were lifted.
“People were coming out, they were coming to us and looking at the physical stuff; the books, the minis, finding what D&D is supposed to be,” she says.
Bree believes the community the game creates is vital.
“It’s important to allow people that sense of belonging and community that they don’t get anymore, especially with this day and age being so online,” Bree says. “People miss having that physical connection of being able to come into a store and set up something physical to look at and touch and play.”
In the game space Bree has plenty of know-how from both sides of the screen. She both runs and plays in games as often as her busy life allows. She says that it’s much more than just a tabletop game, but a way to connect with friends and explore creativity.
Bree says her favourite part of the game is creating her character and a world for it to move in. The process of writing the backstory is creative and continually adding detail is fulfilling.
“I’m a DM and a player, so the fleshing out of both – creating a world and then creating a character – is just phenomenal to me,” she says.
As the resident expert for D&D in the Heretics Haven, Bree does more than recommend the right modules and organise the resplendent shelves of minis and die. She can be found running games for people in the store’s very own Dungeons & Dragons room.
“What we offer is a space to be hired out in order for customers to play on their own, or we also offer myself to be hired as a DM,” she says.
It might be a fantasy game, but D&D connects people in a real-world way. For Bree, there is satisfaction in being a catalyst for that.
