Disclaimer: For this article, I put 48 prominent student groups/clubs on Furman’s campus into an online Hunger Games simulator and added some dramatic flair here for readability. The outcome is entirely random, and I played no part in its outcome. This is not meant to reflect any opinions of myself or the wider student body, it is simply meant to portray a doomsday scenario so that we can be prepared for potential totalitarian rule from President Davis.
48 teams enter the villa. One leaves. It is quiet when the reaping ends, not loud like the riots in Soho. You could hear the grease boiling at Fuji. All contestants stand on their podiums, some fearful, some arrogant, some wise, some confused. But they all must survive, and to survive is to win.
The horn blows. The Games begin. The incredibly weak and terrible IFC is overpowered by ROTC, killed almost instantaneously. Many run away from the cornucopia into the woods, while KD and SAE grab supplies. Cliques form. O-Staff, Mock Trial, and Heller are aligned from the jump. Others are not so lucky. ADPI is eliminated by Pikapp, YDSA takes out Model UN, and DG sends SGA home. Many scrap for supplies, with KUFFed and Sigma Nu amongst them. Day 1 is upon us.
Day 1
FUOC and the Badminton Club conduct several raids, while DG tends to the KPop Club’s wounds. Sigma Chi eliminates SDC, while FUNC Radio sends Pikapp home. Panhel and TriDelt team up, and the Furman Dance Team accidentally steps on a landmine. Girls Who Code gain a reputation in the arena. Night falls. Furman Conservatives, Improvable Cause, and the Dnd Club work to sleep in shifts. KD takes out Mock Trial in a nightly raid, while Heller sends ROTC home. The Religious Life Council takes out SAI, and TriDelt allies themselves with the Bell Tower Boys. The night concludes with two more cannon shots. Sigma Nu and Delta Gamma.
Day 2
The tributes slowly awake. Unknown sponsors grant well-needed supplies for hunters like Heller and Model UN. FUSAB is taken out by their arch-rival, the DnD Club, while the Bell Tower Boys play with explosives, killing FUISA, SAC, and O-Staff with a malfunction. The Paladin allies with Zeta, and AKA with the Trumpet Society. Panhel, Model UN, APO, and Kappa Alpha Psi walk right into an explosive, and none remain. KD treats many wounds, while KUFFed sadly dies from thirst.
Day 3
TriDelt, the most peaceful group till this point, breaks their streak with the Palacats. In classic fashion, Ducks Unlimited and KD are allied, while FUOC and Beta die trying to escape the arena. Thinking they were Ducks Unlimited, Girls Who Code ambushes Sig Chi, eliminating them from contention. But wait, there’s an epic event!
The arena turns black, limiting all visibility. Heller makes too much noise for Zeta, and the Bell Tower Boys are sitting ducks for AKA. RLC falls victim to a lethal plant life, and YDSA is accidentally killed by SAE. Shucker and KD fight for control of a hillside, but it crumbles beneath them, eliminating both. As the day ends, another cannon shot. Girls Who Code.
It’s a quiet night. The triumvirate of Furman Conservatives, FUNC Radio, and Pauper Players hunt down the Badminton Club, but all else rests. Alliances are formed and wounds tended to. This next day will be momentous.
Day 4
It’s the day of the feast. The cornucopia is full, if the tributes are willing to brave it. In retribution, FUNC Radio took out Pauper Players for their actions last night. Many hunt for tributes, and The Paladin, AKA, and FUNC Radio fall victim to these raids. It’s another quiet night, but not many are left among the fallen.
Day 5-6
The temperature rises. Furman Conservatives enact vengeance on Furman Trumpet Society, and Ducks Unlimited leaves Zeta to die from injuries. Improvable Cause climbs a tree, but slips off, taking TriDelt with them. But wait! Another event is occurring.
The border around the arena contracts. Despite having eerily similarities, Furman Conservatives brutally push Ducks Unlimited into the border, eliminating them instantly. SAE and the Trumpet Society trip on a tree root and are soon overcome by the border. Another shot rings out. Religious Life Council. Two remain.
It’s a (mostly) quiet night. All one can hear is a single cannon shot. Furman Conservatives.
The DnD Club giggles with glee. Strange.
Day 7
As the dust settles, and the artificial lights burn into the arena, one contestant rises victorious. Used to long hours without showering and severe lack of sunlight, the Dungeons and Dragons Club emerge victorious over this battlefield. They smile, but they are not happy, they laugh but they are not amused. As they peer over the fallen, they grieve those they have lost, and those lives they took to get there.
It makes one wonder. What truly is the point of these games? Why does President Davis insist on pitting student groups against each other? We already have Greek Life. There’s no need for further unwarranted animosity. DnD is not a hero, but a victim. One can only hope for a better Furman in the future, one not ruled from an iron fist from the Bell Tower. Maybe DnD can get us there. Just maybe.
