“Roll for Initiative: How TTRPGs Can Level Up Your Career”

Picture this: you’re deep in a dungeon, negotiating with a cunning goblin king while your teammates strategize their next move. Now imagine that dungeon is your office, the goblin king is a tricky client, and your teammates are your coworkers. Playing tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) like Dungeons & Dragons isn’t just about rolling dice and fighting dragons—it’s a crash course in emotional intelligence. By stepping into the shoes of different characters with unique goals and backstories, you’re constantly learning how to navigate personalities and handle conflicts. Those same skills help you at work, whether it’s understanding a coworker’s frustrations or leading a diverse team with empathy and tact.

TTRPGs also teach you patience and sharpen your scheduling game. Let’s be honest—getting a group of adults together for a weekly game is like herding cats, but once you pull it off, you’ve learned how to juggle priorities and commit to plans. Plus, in a TTRPG, success rarely comes quickly. Earning the party’s trust, solving a puzzle, or defeating a big bad can take hours or even weeks. That slow grind toward victory? It’s excellent practice for long-term projects at work. Along the way, you’ll develop patience, adaptability, and a healthy respect for everyone’s time—yours included.

And then there’s work ethic. TTRPGs reward effort. Show up unprepared, and the story drags; come ready with creative ideas, and the whole session shines. It’s a perfect mirror for the workplace, where preparation and follow-through make all the difference. Whether you’re a Dungeon Master meticulously crafting a campaign or a player plotting your next big move, the discipline you develop in the game translates directly to your job. You learn to value teamwork, take initiative, and embrace collaboration. At the end of the day, TTRPGs aren’t just about fantasy worlds—they’re about building real-world skills that can turn you into a workplace hero.