While the Dungeons and Dragons Club may seem like a niche, it is one of the fastest growing clubs at CWU and has completed more volunteer hours than any other club on campus.

The Dungeons and Dragons Club has the highest attendance of any club on campus, with about 115 members that regularly attend meetings. According to Bailey Abbott, president of the club, the highest attendance at a single meeting was 146 people.

“We’ve definitely grown a lot since we first started,” Abbott said.

The club now takes up six rooms in Black Hall in order to accommodate its high attendance rate.

Dungeons and Dragons is a tabletop role playing game in which players design their own character and go through a continuous storyline created by a “Dungeon Master.” According to Abbott, the reason why many people like the game is that players have the opportunity to make decisions which affect the storyline.

“It’s a lot more open and you get to make your own choices,” Abbott said.

She adds that this aspect of the game is what sets Dungeons and Dragons apart from other games in the fantasy genre.

Gus Foster, owner of Central City Comics, has worked closely with the Dungeons and Dragons Club for years. He said that he noticed a remarkable growth in the amount of people interested in the game.

“They’re constantly growing out of the space they get,” Foster said.

He added that most members come into the store regularly because Central City Comics is a sponsor of the Dungeons and Dragons Club. The store often hosts sessions in which people can play with club members. Foster has also created a system for members of the club to earn store credit that can go towards role playing games and accessories such as dice.

Last quarter the Dungeons and Dragons Club completed 51.6 volunteer hours, which is more hours than any other club on campus. Each club on campus is required to complete 10 hours of civic engagement in order to stay recognized by CWU.

“The volunteer hours are intended to help give back to the Ellensburg community and campus community,” Bailey Kinker, Vice President of Clubs and Organizations, said.

Kinker added that the volunteer hours also aid in giving students professional development experience. She says clubs often participate in volunteer work that directly relates to their interests. For example, Presidents United to Solve Hunger (PUSH) has recently started a food bank which will count toward their volunteer hours.

The Dungeons and Dragons Club completed many of their hours by participating in club fairs. They also tabled at Bite of the Burg in September alongside Central City Comics and volunteered at Boo Central, a Halloween event put on for the community in the SURC. Abbott adds that the club will also participate in community projects with CLCE on occasion.

The high attendance rate of the Dungeons and Dragons Club contributes to the high number of volunteer hours that they have completed. According to Kinker, the Clubs and Organizations department is looking at solutions to make volunteer hours more equitable for large and small clubs alike in the coming quarter, including redefining what counts as community service and club engagement.

Aside from community service, the Dungeons and Dragons Club will put on at least one event a quarter. Often, this event is something called a “one shot campaign,” in which people can participate in a storyline which lasts for only one game. This gives club members the opportunity to teach people how to play and introduce them to the club.

“There is a surprising amount of people on campus that would love to play D&D, but they just don’t know anybody else on campus that plays,” Abbott said. “So that’s what we’re here for.”

The Dungeons and Dragons Club meets every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. in Black 203.