>> HE WON'T.

>> James: I'M WONDERING IF YOU CAN HELP ME.

YOU RECENTLY FINISHED A DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS GAME THAT WENT ON

FOR THREE YEARS.

>> YES, THE ROD OF SEVEN PARTS.

>> James: SURE.

HOW DOES IT GO ON FOR THREE YEARS?

HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?

HOW DOES IT END, AND WHY EVEN BOTHER ENDING AT THIS POINT.

>> LET ME ASK YOU THIS, JAMES -- DO YOU HAVE THE COURAGE TO

IMAGINE?

>> James: YES, I ABSOLUTELY DO.

100% I DO.

>> OKAY.

WELL, THEN, IF YOU CAN GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU AND, PER

CHANCE, FOUR TO SIX OTHER GROWN ADULTS CAN SIT AROUND A TABLE

AND ALL TRY TO IMAGINE THE SAME THING, AND THEN WHEN THERE'S A

CONTEST OF ANYTHING YOU WANT TO HAPPEN, ROLL THEM BONES, THEN

YOU CAN PLAY DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS FOR THREE YEARS.

BASICALLY, WE TOLD A FANTASY EPIC AKIN TO "LORD OF THE RINGS"

THAT IS ENTIRELY OUR OWN AND EXISTS ONLY IN OUR MINDS.

SO TO TRY AND SHARE -- OH, HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN OLIUS

DEFEATED THE KRACKEN!

IT'S LIKE TELLING SOMEONE YOUR DREAM.

SO INTERESTING.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

SO IT'S A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT STORY THAT WAS TOLD ONLY FOR THE

SIX PEOPLE THAT WERE IN OUR GROUP.

I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT.

>> James: WELL, THAT'S THE BEST WAY ANYONE HAS EVER

EXPLAINED DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS TO ME BECAUSE I'VE NEVER QUITE

GOT IT BEFORE BECAUSE PEOPLE DO THAT THING OF TRYING TO EXPLAIN

IT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU CAN'T.

>> NO, BECAUSE IT'S JUST A MEMORY AT THAT POINT, IT ALWAYS

IS.

>> James: BUT I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THE NOTION OF HAVING

A SHARED, CREATIVE, IMAGINARY EXPERIENCE WITH A GROUP OF

FRIENDS THAT IS ONLY HAPPENING THERE AND THEN, IN THAT MOMENT

THERE.

>> YEAH, YEAH.

I MEAN, WHEN IT WAS ALL DONE, WHY IT WENT THREE YEARS IS

BECAUSE THE STORY KEPT GOING AND BASICALLY, AT EVERY MOMENT, WE

WERE, LIKE, NO, LET'S KEEP TELLING IT.

>> James: HOW DO YOU END IT?

WITH SOME TEARS.

NO JOKE, THERE WERE TEARS AT THE END.

YEAH, BECAUSE CHARACTERS YOU KNOW FOR A LONG TIME DIE OR THEY

MOVE ON AND THEIR STORIES, THEIR EPILOGUE IS KIND OF SAD IN SOME

WAYS, AND WE ALL, LIKE, SAT AROUND THE TABLE, WE MET FOR THE

FINALE AND WE SAT AROUND THE TABLE AND HAD DRINKS AND SAID,

REMEMBER WHEN IT'S SEPTEMBER AND IT WAS HEROS DAY AND WE WERE,

LIKE, AH, CRUSHED A CUP OVER OUR STORIES.

HOW WE ENDED IT IS WE GOT THE SEVEN PARTS OF THE ROD.

AND WE DEFEATED MISHKA THE SPIDER QUEEN.

JAMES -- >> James: I GET IT.

I COMPLETELY GET IT.

>> SEEMS LIKE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WE DEFEATED MISHKA.

>> James: YEAH, AND THE SEVEN RODS OF THE KRACKEN.

>> YOU'RE MAKING FUN OF ME, I CAN TELL.

( LAUGHTER ) >> James: NO, I'M NOT.

THAT'S THE BEST -- >> DID I SUCCESSFULLY DITCH PEN

AND PAPER ROLE GAMES.

>> James: YOU DID AND I NEVER THOUGHT THAT WAS POSSIBLE.

REGGIE, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR OUR GUEST THIS EVENING?

>> Reggie: I DO.

TONIGHT'S QUESTION GOES TO -- ( DRUM ROLL )

-- LET'S MAKE IT FOR THOMAS.

>> OH, OKAY.

>> Reggie: OKAY.

UM, SO, WHEN YOU'RE ROLE PLAYING, WHEN DOING DUNGEONS AND

DRAGONS, SPECIFICALLY, AND PEN AND PAPER, OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN USE

HEXAGONAL STUFF, FIGURINES.

WHAT IS YOUR STYLE OF PLAYING?

I LIKE TO DESCRIBE WHAT MY CHARACTER IS DOING, I DON'T

REALLY PLAY MY CHARACTER SO MUCH, AND HOW DO YOU NAVIGATE

THE DIFFERENT STYLES OF PLAYING.

>> YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THIRD PERSON INVENTED BY --

>> Reggie: YES.

THAT'S THE ONE I WAS IN.

I HYBRID PLAY.

THIS WAS INVENTED IN 1991 BY KURT COBAIN OF ALL PEOPLE, WHERE

YOU DO A MIX OF FIRST PERSON AS IN I SAY THIS, I DO THIS, AND

ALSO A MIX OF THIRD PERSON, PER CHANCE, USING YOUR CHARACTER'S

NAME OR DESCRIBING EXACTLY WHAT YOU DO IN THE SCENE, AS IT WERE.

OF COURSE, YOU'RE DOING THE PALM WITH MANY FINGERS, THE SYMBOL OF

THE BROKEN TWIST, AND THE THIEVES GUILD.

( LAUGHTER ) >> Reggie: I'M ONLY LAUGHING

BECAUSE IT'S CRAZY HOW PRECISE THAT IS.

THAT'S ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.

THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT.

>> James: IT'S ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!