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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Comment
Patrick Lenton

I don’t like organised fun, but Dungeons and Dragons is my shining nerdy light amid the darkness

Dice and pencils for a Dungeons and Dragons role playing game
‘The forced, routine connection with my beloved friends is something I look forward to every month’. Dice and pencils for a Dungeons and Dragons game. Photograph: Danielle Donders/Getty Images

Recently, I reached out to a friend to see if they wanted to see the second Wicked film, only to realise the last time I’d seen them had been a full year – when we went to the first Wicked film. Oops. For a musical about friendship, it’s really lacking a number where Elphaba and Glinda try to schedule a lunch four months in advance.

I wish this was a one-off blip in my regimented friendship schedule, but all through 2025 I played the world’s slowest game of message tennis. I’d invite a pal for dinner, only for the world to turn, the seasons pass, grey hairs gather at my temples, before a date was finally locked in.

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