ROLL FOR INITIATIVE: Discussing the Parallels and Lessons Learned between IT and Tabletop Role-Playing Games

What could a tabletop role-playing game like Dungeons & Dragons possibly have in common with IT in higher education? As it turns out, quite a lot! Both rely on strategic thinking, collaboration, adaptability, and a willingness to navigate the unknown. In both worlds, plans are made, risks are taken, and outcomes are shaped as much by teamwork as by chance. The roll of a die in D&D can determine whether a player achieves a “natural 20” success or faces a “critical failure” and in IT the same spectrum of outcomes plays out daily through system roll-outs, infrastructure challenges, and unexpected victories. What matters most isn’t the roll itself, but how teams respond, adapt, and carry the story forward.