Black leaders have always made waves in every era, generation, and occupation. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the ones in the past and the present. They do plenty just by stepping into the spotlight and being their authentic selves, and Aabria Iyengar is an outstanding example of this. She leads with fun and strives for inclusivity, and does so in a community that is predominately white and/or male. I’m of course talking about the nerdy, magical world of Dungeons and Dragons, or D&D for short.
In case you don’t know what D&D is, here’s a quick overview: it’s a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) that originated in the 1970s and has been around ever since. At its center is the significance of storytelling. One dungeon/game master (DM/GM) narrates the story or “campaign” for about 4-6 players spanning as many sessions as necessary to reach their end goal. If you know anything about The Lord of the Rings, then you might recognize some of the race classes you can choose to play as when you create your character: human, elf, orc, dwarf, etc. Together as an adventuring party, you and your friends can travel vast worlds and become the heroes of your own story, and do anything your imagination can come up with (with the permission of your DM and the dice, of course).
D&D has a reputation for being the game that predominately white nerds play in their mom’s basements, or even being only for children—the Stranger Things gang enjoyed it and made references constantly. However, people of color and LGBTQ players have always existed. After all, where else would they be able to see themselves take center stage in a story? When else would they get to feel confident, like they could take on the world in a safe environment? The media was often a hit or miss, and still is to this day. And I’ve noticed D&D makes a huge splash especially this past year or so because everyone’s looking for an escape from the harsh realities of the pandemic. At least, I know that’s the main reason I got hooked.
Enter Aabria Iyengar. Aside from being a skilled D&D player, writer, podcast host for Storybenders (an analysis of Avatar: The Last Airbender episodes), and the Chief Marketing Officer of Dice Envy—an online polyhedral dice company that specializes in D&D—she’s a Black female GM for famous shows like Critical Role and more recently Dimension 20. The campaigns are called Exandria Unlimited and Misfits and Magic, respectively.
A big Dimension 20 fan, my introduction to her has been Misfits and Magic, which is like a reimagined Harry Potter setting that isn’t afraid to make fun of J. K. Rowling or the lack of representation and logic in her world. That was all I needed to fall in love with Aabria’s mind, but the icing on top has definitely been the amount of fun, flavor, and passion she’s brought to the game. Her performance as she roleplays with the characters has even gotten me teary-eyed at certain parts. It’s the kind of show that any D&D newcomer could jump into and have fun with, helped by having a hilarious, talented, and diverse group of comedians as players.
As someone who grew up on fantasy and science fiction and a love for storytelling, it’s really a wonder I didn’t find D&D before my early twenties. But now, I couldn’t be happier knowing there’s a place for me in the community and that I have role models like Aabria. She’s an inspiration, and I’ll never forget how excited I was when I first watched the Misfits and Magic trailer and saw the hype surrounding her skills. I hope other Black girls can look at her and games like Misfits and Magic and feel the same way, knowing there’s nothing we can’t be a part of. Black nerds, stay winning, and stay leading!
penned by Diva Ferrell
