The first time Tony Ford played Dungeons & Dragons, he was a wiry Black kid who had never seen the inside of a prison. His mother, a police officer in Detroit, had quit the force and moved the family to West Texas. To Ford, it seemed like a different world. Strangers talked funny, and El Paso was half desert. But he could skateboard in all that open space, and he eventually befriended a nerdy white kid with a passion for Dungeons & Dragons. Ford fell in love with the role-playing game right away; it was complex and cerebral, a saga you could lose yourself in. And in the 1980s, everyone seemed to be playing it.
The game has since become one of the most popular in the world, celebrated in nostalgic television shows and dramatized in movies. It is played in homes, at large conventions and even in prisons.
When Ford, who is now on death row, first overheard the other men playing D.&D., they were engaged in a fast, high-octane version. The gamers were members of the Mexican Mafia, an insular crew that let Ford into their circle after they realized he could draw. The gang’s leader, Spider, pulled some strings, Ford recalls, and got him moved to a neighboring cell to serve as his personal artist. Ford earned some money drawing intricate Aztec designs in ink. He also began to join their D.&D. sessions, eventually becoming a Dungeon Master and running games all over the row.
This story was recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.
'The Interview': Charlamagne Tha God Won’t Take Sides
Stormy Daniels Takes The Stand
One Strongman, One Billion Voters, and the Future of India
A Plan to Remake the Middle East
How Changing Ocean Temperatures Could Upend Life on Earth
R.F.K. Jr.’s Battle to Get on the Ballot
Sunday Special: 'Modern Love'
'The Interview': Marlon Wayans Lost Nearly 60 Loved Ones. Comedy Saved Him.
The Protesters and the President
Biden Loosens Up on Weed
The New Abortion Fight Before the Supreme Court
The Secret Push That Could Ban TikTok
Trump 2.0: What a Second Trump Presidency Would Bring
Introducing ‘The Interview’: Yair Lapid Says the World Misunderstands Israel
Introducing ‘The Interview’: Anne Hathaway Is Done Trying to Please
Harvey Weinstein Conviction Thrown Out
The Crackdown on Student Protesters
Is $60 Billion Enough to Save Ukraine?
A Salacious Conspiracy or Just 34 Pieces of Paper?
The Evolving Danger of the New Bird Flu
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Up First
Today, Explained
Post Reports
What Next | Daily News and Analysis
The Rachel Maddow Show