Friday, October 11, 2024
This game is well-played
Postal Service employees delight in D&D stamps’ approval
For USPS employee Chase Hohnholt, the recent release of stamps celebrating the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons means the fantasy role-playing game has finally arrived.
“It’s cool that Dungeons & Dragons is getting recognition … especially when the Postal Service notices it. That says a lot,” said Hohnholt, an electronic technician at the Greensboro, NC, Network Distribution Center (NDC) and a game enthusiast.
Fans of fantasies involving elves, wizards, quests and mystical creatures will feel at home playing Dungeons and Dragons, Hohnholt said.
Created by Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson, Dungeons & Dragons, or D&D, is published by Wizards of the Coast. Around 64 million people have played the game since it debuted in 1974.
Social media, books, movies, video games, podcasts, cartoon series, a popular online group and D&D-inspired plots on the hit TV series “Stranger Things” continue to introduce the game to new generations of players.
“Back in the day, you could only play in person. But now with the internet, Zoom and group chat apps, you can sit home alone on a computer and play with a number of people,” Hohnholt said.
Six months ago, Hohnholt was surprised to learn several of his co-workers also played D&D.
“We were talking about our nerdy hobbies. It came up that one of us played Dungeons & Dragons. Then before you knew it, there were six or seven of us who played. So we created a group and started playing together,” he said.
Their group meets twice a month.
A group or “adventure party” of up to seven players — or “player characters” — collaborate on an open-ended story or campaign guided by books, dice and a “dungeon master” who crafts the storyline.
Campaigns can last for months.
“It’s all based on your imagination. It’s not like a video game where you are only in a certain area that’s created with coding, and you are limited to interacting with things that the programmer allows you to interact with. Here, you can do just about anything,” Hohnholt said.
For other USPS employees, the release of the stamps represents a collision of worlds.
Xavier Davis — a Kansas City, MO, stamp fulfillment services clerk who has been playing D&D for three years — helped manage the Postal Service’s busy Dungeons & Dragons booth at the GenCon Convention in Indianapolis, where the stamps were dedicated on Aug. 1.
“I was really surprised and really excited to be involved,” he said.
Like Davis, Hohnholt hopes the Dungeons & Dragons stamps will spark more interest in the game.
“People are starting to hear about it, taking a look and maybe even try it out themselves. It’s like any fun game you’ve ever played on your phone or on a game system,” he said. “It’s just a little quirkier.”
People
In the loop
Two employees track down a missing package, a Post Office promotes hiring and more
Two Postal Service employees recently worked together to find a customer’s missing package.
It began when an employee at a University of Maryland biological lab contacted USPS to locate a package which contained important payroll information.
The customer spoke to Solomons, MD, Postmaster Theresa Smith, who began tracking down the package. She and other colleagues determined it was caught in a loop between Maryland and Pennsylvania, most likely because of an incorrect barcode.
Smith turned to Denzel James, a mail handler at the Philadelphia Network Distribution Center, who intercepted the package and redirected it to the correct address.
Smith, who volunteers as a Chesapeake Bay storyteller in her free time, said the lab does important environmental research in the bay. She thanked James for his help, praising him for “doing what you do and for representing the brand.”
Hire power
Employees at the Edinburgh, IN, Post Office are doing their part to help USPS fill its job openings.
The employees participated in the city’s fall festival, where more than 40 people picked up job applications at the Post Office’s booth.
The postal-themed tchotchkes available at the booth were also a big draw.
“People loved all the goodies. You could look down the street and see everyone carrying the Postal Service goodie bags,” said Chasity Ernstes, the acting postmaster.
New postmaster
The new postmaster in Arlington, TN — a city of about 2,500 residents near the state’s southwestern corner — is Denise Mitchell, a 30-year USPS employee.
She began her career as a mail handler in Memphis, TN, and later moved into management roles, including customer services manager.
“Our customers are priority No. 1, whether they’re located in the biggest cities or smaller communities,” Mitchell said.
“People” appears regularly in Link. Got news to share? Email us.
News Quiz
Safety first
How much do you know about these heroic employees?
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end.
1. Match the Postal Service employee in Column A with the heroic act he or she recently performed in Column B.
Column A
a) Dennis Bergsbaken, Pulaski, WI, rural carrier
b) Tesfaye Deyasso, St. Louis Park, MN, letter carrier
c) Candace Rogge, Rupert, ID, rural carrier
d) Jack Young, Rockport, TX, letter carrier
Column B
I) Aided a man who was having a seizure
II) Aided an unsupervised child
III) Helped a motorist with a flat tire
IV) Helped rescue a customer from a car fire
2. The Postal Service and which federal agency released the new Thank You, Healthcare Community stamp?
a) U.S. Department of Education
b) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
c) U.S. Department of Labor
c) U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
3. USPS is observing which of the following in October? Choose all that apply.
a) Cybersecurity Awareness Month
b) National Disability Employment Awareness Month
c) National Preparedness Month
d) National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month
4. Where did the Postal Service hold a special dedication ceremony for the Christmas Madonna and Child stamp?
a) Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh
b) Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields
c) Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum, Washington, DC
d) National Postal Museum, Washington, DC
5. Fill in the blank: USPS employee relocation expense reimbursement requests submitted after (blank) will be processed for payment after Jan. 2, 2025.
a) Nov. 15
b) Nov. 16
c) Nov. 30
d) Dec. 31
Answers: 1) a. III., b. IV., c. II., d. I. 2) b. 3) a. b. 4) b. 5) a.