D&D for a holiday party? That's exactly what I was doing last weekend. 🎄
Four friends who met through entrepreneurship gathered for their second-ever game of Granny D&D. They played sleuthing grannies investigating a murder at the annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Carol-a-Thon.
Think Murder She Wrote meets a holiday party gone wrong.
One told her husband she was "having a meeting with some friends," which was easier than explaining what she was actually doing.
We always start by creating our characters, and within ten minutes, they weren't themselves anymore:
- Punky: fresh out of prison, sporting a bedazzled ankle bracelet decorated with tinsel
- Bridge: a romance novelist who saw every clue as a potential title for her next book
- Granny Glow: a yoga teacher with timeshares in Vermont and Costa Rica (apparently they're "basically the same")
- Ernestine: obsessively setting up 12-13 Christmas trees while her cat knocked ornaments off her Dickens Village display
For two hours, they were completely transported. Making choices, solving problems, building on each other's ideas. No second-guessing. Just play.
The surprising benefits of D&D
You make imperfect decisions without overthinking. When you only have partial information and the clock is ticking, you learn to trust yourself and act. That muscle memory carries over.
You communicate without ego. There's no room for "my idea is better than yours" when you're collectively trying to solve a murder. You listen, build, pivot. Everyone's contribution matters.
You see each other differently. The person you thought wasn't creative spins an entire backstory on the spot. The quiet one becomes the mastermind. You discover strengths you didn't know existed.
You bond without forced vulnerability. No trust falls. No sharing your biggest fear. Just solving problems together, laughing as someone reads a racy Christmas card out loud, and genuinely appreciating each other's contributions. The story does the work.
These four friends already knew each other. They came for fun and to solve a murder.
They left having cracked the case (the broke brother did it—he was living in the crawl space), but they also left with something better: practice in skills they'll use tomorrow.
- Making decisions with incomplete information
- Building on others' ideas without shutting them down
- Communicating under pressure
- Trusting their instincts
- Thinking on their feet
Because neurons that fire together, wire together. And what you practice in play seeps into real life.
Want this for your team?
I run custom games in person or virtually. Mystery-solving grannies, heist crews, fantasy adventures—every game is customized to your group.
I guarantee your team will leave more connected, more engaged, and with stories they'll still be laughing about in six months.
Drop me a message or check out onceuponaroll.com for details.
