Heroes were made

« Speaking of the ancients, » he said « I’ve brought along something to help us in our quest for the hero. Look at these, will you? Divination tools! »
He held his hand out. Nestled in his sticky palm were three little objects of brightly colored plastic. There was a lime green pyramid, a pink cube, and a many-faced spheroid of sky blue. « Dice. This one’s four-sided, this one’s six-sided, and this one’s twelve-sided. »
The others stared as though they expected the devil to leap up through the floor. Dungeons and Dragons had been illegal for two centuries. Enjoying their reaction, Rutherford rattled the dice in his hand.
« You know what was done with these? Characters were decided. Heroes were made on paper and brought to life in people’s heads. Fates were settled! »

(Rutherford in The Life of the World to Come by Kage Baker)