Flightless Bird Dungeons & Dragons
Jan 27, 2026
Phil Hirons, a lifelong Dungeons & Dragons player and dungeon master since the 1970s, shares stories from a five-decade campaign. He talks about teaching D&D in schools, hand-drawn campaign worlds, and how the game builds lasting friendships. The conversation covers D&D’s cultural shifts, its influence on video games, and why it keeps drawing new generations.
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From Toy Store Find To Community Fixture
- Phil Hirons found Dungeons & Dragons in a toy store and integrated it into community life as a teacher and coach.
- He ran games at a Jewish Community Center and a private school for decades, influencing hundreds of kids.
A Forty-Year Tabletop Friendship
- Phil and Jesse have played together for about four decades, tracking life events like college and divorce.
- Their game fostered multi-generational friendships, with players spanning decades in age.
Roleplay Trains Problem Solving
- Jesse emphasizes D&D lets players be someone else and acts as an engine for empathy and collective problem solving.
- He argues roleplay teaches creative collaboration better than traditional youth sports.
