Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons (often abbreviated as D&D) is the oldest and still the most popular pencil-and-paper role-playing game. The fantasy-themed game was developed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in the early 1970s and first published in 1974. Over time, several new editions of the game have been published, introducing many new rules and features. D&D today has come a long path from its beginnings, though it is still more conservative in its design than most other role-playing games published in the meantime.

The game draws on various sources in fantasy fiction and mythology, of which the most important are the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. Though the game is not explicitly set in Middle-earth and the authors liked to downplay the importance of this source, many elements of that world, such as the four Free Peoples (Elves, Men, Halflings, Dwarves, which are the four playable races in early versions of the game), are clearly recognizable, and some gaming groups have set their campaigns in Middle-earth.

History

The first version of the game was published by TSR, Inc. in 1974. In the following years, the company began developing two product lines. The D&D Basic Set (red box) appeared in 1977, and the more complex Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) in 1978. The D&D Basic Set was expanded in a series of supplemental rules for more advanced characters: D&D Expert Set (blue box) 1981, D&D Companion Set (green box) 1983, D&D Master Set (black box) 1985, D&D Immortals Set (gold box) 1986. AD&D Second Edition was published in 1989.

By 1997, TSR was in trouble and acquired by Wizards of the Coast. The "Basic D&D" product line was discontinued, and the 3rd edition of the game (basically a third edition of AD&D) appeared as Dungeons & Dragons 3 in 2000, dropping the "Advanced" from the title. The game system was revised substantially, adding a skills and feats system to the game. In 2003, a revised version, D&D 3.5, appeared, and a fourth edition in 2008. The release of the fifth edition is planned for the 40th anniversary of the game in 2014.

System

The D&D game system has been expanded and revised several times, usually following the general progress in role-playing game design with a delay of several years. Character creation and development is based on a system of character classes and experience levels. Early versions of the game allowed for little character individualization, but D&D3 added a skills system which allows for creating more individual characters. There are six basic attributes: strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom and charisma, each ranging from 3 to 18. Until AD&D2, many different types of dice were used, but D&D3 streamlined this into the d20 system, within which most rolls are on a 20-sided die.

Settings

• Dragonlance
• Eberron
• Forgotten Realms
• Greyhawk
• Planescape

and many others.