This post was originally published on Audible.com.
By the time we embarked on our first Dungeons & Dragons campaign seven years ago, my now-husband and I had already been dating for three years. But while our own love story didn’t get its start with our group’s weekly adventures, it’s not difficult to imagine how tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) offer the perfect opportunity for a budding romance to blossom. Between the liberating unselfconsciousness of improvisational world-building and the foundational bonding experience of working toward a shared mission, it’s hard not to develop a special connection with the folks you gather around the gaming table with. And if you happen to have undeniable chemistry with one of your fellow adventurers? Well, you’re in for a critical hit to the heart.
Such is the case in writer and longtime D&D devotee Lenora Woods’s debut novel , which sets a small town, friends-to-lovers romance against the backdrop of a tabletop campaign. When Sadie, a burned-out, freshly unemployed city slicker meets Noah, a charming, small-town Texas bartender, sparks begin to fly. And as the pair spend more and more time together, they fall head-over-heels in worlds both real and imagined. A cute, cozy romance rooted in friendship, found family, and fantasy, this new listen is as sweet as it is spellbinding.
Alanna McAuliffe: Your charming debut, Roll for Romance, follows a love story that unfolds between two players over the course of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. What inspired this conceit and the two characters at the plot’s center?
Lenora Woods: Truthfully, I've always been fascinated by the idea of a book about a Dungeons & Dragons group that tells the story of both the players and their characters. I first started playing D&D simply because I wanted to engage with a cool fantasy story, but the friendships I forged with my group in real life away from the game are just as special—more special, really!—than the storylines we play out in-game. In Roll for Romance, I wanted to explore that dynamic of the players' relationship both to the game and to each other. I also loved imagining what a budding romance between two players would look like, and how roleplaying characters in-game might blur the lines between fantasy and reality.
Admittedly, the inspiration for the main character, Sadie, came directly from my own experiences with burnout. I wanted to write about a woman who uses the game and the character she plays as a way to feel brave, adventurous, and capable during a time in her life when she feels otherwise defeated and helpless. Connecting with community and indulging in hobbies like D&D can be a huge part of the healing process, and I was inspired to tell Sadie's story about how playing the game helped her to start believing in herself—and in love—again. It was actually a really freeing experience! I'm a huge fan of both fantasy and contemporary romance, and it was great to be able to "escape" from one world into another. Just as Sadie and her friends sometimes use D&D as an escape, getting to hop right back into writing the fantasy story when things IRL started to feel too "heavy" or complex was so much fun. It gave me the opportunity, as a writer, to really explore these characters through a different, fantastical perspective, because it let me ask the question: Are they just using the in-game fantasy storyline as an escape from the complexities of their real lives, or are there aspects of their own personalities they're exploring through their in-game characters? Absolutely! I've played D&D for almost 10 years now, and lots of inspiration from the games I've played in made it into this book. The campaign that the characters in play through is new and unique to the book, but I've included fun references to my past games and characters. Without giving spoilers, there is a portion of the D&D storyline in the book where our heroes must call on other adventurers to aid them in their quest, and the adventurers who answer the call are all references to characters my friends and I have played in previous campaigns. I included them as a tribute to all of the stories that inspired , and as a way to honor everyone who supported it on its journey. I'm sure I could write an essay on this, but I'll keep it short! At its heart, I really believe what keeps us playing D&D is how it fosters community. It connects everyone at the table, uniting them together for one great, magical story. Of course, it's also set in a fun fantasy world with plenty of beloved genre and culture touchpoints that make it accessible to new players, but it's specifically designed in a way that really invites you to make these worlds, stories, and characters your by encouraging youto engage with it on your own terms.
