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, 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.

Settings

• Dragonlance
• Eberron
• Forgotten Realms
• Greyhawk
• Planescape

and many others.