Tell City Library launches first Dungeons & Dragons one-shot session

Perry County Public Library turned the Larry Beatty Room at its Tell City Branch into a Dungeons & Dragons table for the branch’s first one-shot session, a one-evening trial designed to see whether the game could become a regular program. The session ran from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on May 5 at 2328 Tell Street in Tell City, and organizer Kayla Morris helped lead the effort.

The listing said the event was open to all skill levels, which made it usable for experienced tabletop players and for people who had never rolled dice in a role-playing game before. Participants under 18 were required to bring a signed parental waiver, a detail that put the event firmly in the category of structured youth programming rather than an informal drop-in. For Perry County, that matters because a one-shot gives teens and young adults a low-pressure way to spend an afternoon or evening socializing, solving problems and playing without a screen.

The library’s own description framed the session as a test, saying it was meant to “help us decide if this should become a regular library program.” That approach fits the way the Tell City Branch has been building out its role as more than a place to check out books. Perry County Public Library already offers storytimes, family events, after-school activities, the Summer Reading Program, games, crafts, a computer lab and toys for children and teens.

The Larry Beatty Room gives the branch the space to do it. Library information says the room can seat at least 40 people and is available for educational, cultural, intellectual, civic or charitable activities. It also has kitchen access, tables and chairs, and a large television that laptops or devices can connect to, which makes it adaptable for both game play and other community gatherings.

The Dungeons & Dragons session also followed a recent pattern at the Tell City Branch: Teen Tuesday in The Dungeon, a recurring program for ages 13 to 18 that has included video game battles, board game activities, crafts and movie nights. With the Cannelton Branch closed May 5 because the building was being used as a polling location for Primary Election Day, the Tell City event stood out as one of the county’s few open, local options for an after-school gathering that combined play, conversation and shared problem-solving.